Naruto: Dual Worlds
by AkatsukiBoi
Summary: [NarutoXFinalFantasy8] As war brews between Konoha and Iwagakure, a vicious assault sends Naruto and Neji to another land. There, they begin to write their own legend in a world of magic and mercenaries.
1. Prologue

Naruto: Dual Worlds – Chapter 1 – Prologue

…

…

I don't own anything or anybody from Naruto. I would love to though, so in case you want to sell me the rights for a few dollars, I'm all for it.

…

…

The road to Konoha was disturbingly busy during the mid-afternoon of summer. A blazing sun looked down mercilessly at everyone below it's raging heat, causing almost everyone to break out in fits of smelly sweat. Several dozen merchants pushed their wares in large horse drawn wagons from Konoha to the capital of the Land of Fire where the feudal lord dwelled, and to other, though still large, cities. People had a peculiar obsession with wares that related to ninja, and they fetched an ever-increasing price from the markets.

There was also the dozens of travelers that preferred the dusty but busy road to the forests in fear of the dangerous thieves, animals, and worse of all, renegade ninja. Migrant workers that moved from city to city with permits, lone strangers, and some occasional shinobi littered the path.

And of all those people, there was an especially loud and noticeably blond one that was arguing with the white-haired man next to him.

Uzumaki Naruto, now fifteen years old, was finally returning to Konoha.

"Oooh! Were almost there, old man!" Naruto said excitedly. It had been almost two year since he had left, and many things about him had changed. He was taller by almost a foot, and there were lines of maturity on his face that weren't there before. His lean body filled out well, giving him a more adult image. However, his hair was still obnoxiously yellow and his sense of fashion – orange and blue – still hadn't changed.

Besides him was his sensei, Jiraiya. Also known as one of the legendary Sannin of Konoha, he wore an odd outfit that made him stand out in the road. An uncommonly large scroll hung down his back, but anyone with a concerting eye knew that the scrolled weighed dozens of pounds, and that the old man was more than he seemed.

"Calm down, Naruto. You're scaring everyone else." Jiraiya said, as he attempted to hush his younger student. He scratched his hair and smiled back at some of the other people on the road who had begun to give the hyperactive ninja less desirable looks.

"But it's been so long since I've been back! What if no one recognizes me?" Naruto bounced up and down and back up excitedly at the prospect of seeing old friends. Ever since Sasuke had defected to Orochimaru, he had left with Jiraiya, partially because he knew he represented some hazard to his village, partially to become stronger, and partially to forget the pain of his memories in knowing that Sasuke had managed to leave because of his weakness.

Jiraiya laughed. "Believe me Naruto. It would take anyone much longer than a year to forget the likes of _you_. Especially _you_."

Naruto's face soured. "You trying to say something old man?"

Jiraiya held his hands up, palms flat in mock peace. "No. Just saying you're a special kid. Learn to take a joke once in a while, you'll live longer that way."

Naruto smiled as if had won a battle, flipping his thumb up and across his nose. "That's right. I _am_ special."

It had been a bit over a year since he had left Konoha to train with Jiraiya. They had traveled to several different countries so that Naruto could meet with several friends of Jiraiya that were skilled with various techniques. Naruto soured at the memories. They had mainly used him as a punching mat for techniques, under the guise of teaching. But he had grown, he admitted to himself after looking past all the embarrassing losses to shinobi much greater than him. He had grown much in power, skill, and speed, and he was eager to show it off to everyone.

Jiraiya had originally not planned on coming back for another year. While they were staying at Kumogakure, the hidden Cloud village in the Land of Lightning, Jiraiya had received an urgent message from Tsunade via a special technique Naruto had never known before. The next day, Jiraiya had ordered him to pack up, explaining to him that there was important business back in Konoha. Of course, Jiraiya still hadn't explained in detail what was happening, but Naruto didn't mind. He missed his old friends Lee, Shikamaru, Neji, Chouji, Ino, Kiba, Hinata, Shino, Tenten, and even that little brat Konohamaru and his little pack of miscreants. He missed his academy teacher Iruka-sensei, and his team-leader Kakashi-sensei. He missed old lady Tsunade and her assistant Shizune. Most of all, Naruto thought happily, he missed his child-hood and still ongoing crush Sakura.

He grinned blithely at imaginary thoughts of how Sakura would see him and fall instantly in love.

When he had learned Jiraiya kept in contact with Tsunade, he had asked him about Sakura, before anyone else.

"It's not important for you to know how the big-forehead girl is doing right now. Concentrate on your training. That's what matters at the moment." Jiraiya had originally told him, ignoring Naruto's incensed response when Jiraiya insulted the size of his first crush's forehead.

But Naruto hadn't relented, and eventually the perverted old man had given up to his patented _sexy-no-jutsu._ He found out that Sakura was training under Tsunade as a medical-nin. _Good for her_, he had thought, that she was learning something new and becoming stronger. He _did_ however hope that Sakura developed neither old lady Tsunade's terrifying strength or sarcastic personality.

When they finally reached the massive gates that protected the south entrance to the city, Naruto and Jiraiya were surprised at the changes that had been done. Large iron gates hung ominously around the entrance, with barbed wire peppered liberally everywhere. Extra guard patrols gazed down upon them from high stands upon the wall with hard, discerning eyes. There were even more guards at the ground floor, checking and marking special passes that were given out to merchants and travelers to identify them. Several merchants had been escorted into a small, and newly constructed building to be further screened for a potential threat.

Then one of the guards saw Naruto and Jiraiya approach, and left his patrol group to meet the two.

"Welcome back Jiraiya-sama." The guard bowed in deference then crossed his arms again when he turned to address Naruto. Opaque white eyes stared at the young ninja reminiscently. "And Naruto. I'm glad to see that you made it on time. For once."

"N-Neji?!" Naruto exclaimed loudly. He was surprised that one of the men he had considered his rival and friend was at the south gate. The Hyuuga had always given off an air of superiority and guarding gates didn't seem like something he would enjoy.

He laughed loudly, slapping his palms against his pants. "You got promoted to guard-duty!" He stopped laughing when neither Neji nor Jiraiya gave a hint of a smile that they appreciated the joke.

"These _eyes_ of mine have proven to be of much use to Konoha. In times like these, all the resources of the village are put to use." Neji gave Naruto a slow once-over, and Naruto shivered deep in his bones. It seemed as if Neji not only looked at him, but _through_ him. He remembered such a stare so many years ago, in the chuunin examination, and didn't like being on the other end.

"You've changed Naruto, you've become stronger." Neji observed. He could see the improved chakra flow. It was larger, but also more concentrated. Naruto must have learned to also contain his enormous chakra potential somewhat. Neji didn't say it, but he was impressed. The more chakra one had, the harder it was to control, like a river. And where some people had a stream or a canal, Naruto's chakra was a raging white rapid. It said a great deal of his training that he had managed to reel something like that in.

Naruto grinned from ear to ear. "Nice to see you're the same old sour-face you used to be, Neji."

Jiraiya interrupted the two with a little cough, and Neji turned much more respectful eyes to his superior. "So the rumors are true, are they? I didn't expect Tsunade to issue such drastic orders already. But it's like her, taking such precautions." Jiraiya began softly. He had seen the extra security and realized what it meant. No wonder Tsunade had called him back.

"Yes. There has been much movement from the other side lately. We've even confiscated a few spies. They're being interrogated as we speak." Neji replied.

"Wha-? Who are you talking about?" Naruto interjected. "Interrogation? Spy? What's going on? Old man…Neji?" He asked.

Jiraiya ignored him. "You. Your name. Neji, was it?"

Neji nodded. "Yes, Jiraiya-sama."

"I'm going to have a little chit-chat with Tsunade-hime. Fill in Naruto for me, would you?" Jiraiya said.

"It would be my - " Neji coughed a bit. He didn't want to, but he couldn't say no to a _Sannin_ out of respect. " – my _pleasure_."

Was it just him, or was there an extremely heavy dose of sarcasm? Naruto wondered.

"You don't have to if you don't want to." Naruto grumbled.

"Alright Naruto, I'll see you later. Say hi to everyone for me." Jiraiya said with a good-bye wave. The other guards parted before him, apparently informed of his Sannin status. Neji bowed one final time. Naruto sighed and waved back. The old man had a penchant for wondering away without telling Naruto what was happening.

"So Neji…" Naruto began, turning to the Hyuuga. "Why the extra security here? Don't tell me." Naruto closed his eyes in mock concentration. "Lee drank too much sake again?"

Neji rolled his eyes. Naruto was the same as ever. He would give the explanation to Naruto straight, and maybe he would understand it.

"We're at war right now. All available forces have been called back to prepare for any assault on the village."

Naruto stood in shock, and his eyebrows stretched off his face. "You're joking right?" He said at last.

"No." Neji shook his head in a 'this is serious' gesture.

"Wow…" Naruto breathed out, his mouth an 'o'. "It's not Sunagakure, is it?" Naruto said, referring to the hidden Sand village. That village had been part of the last alliance set up by Orochimaru that attacked them during the chuunin exam two years ago.

"No, it's even worse. It's the Rock village." Neji stated.

"Rock village huh? Hmm…" Naruto didn't remember visiting any place with that name.

"From the Land of Earth."

"Ahhh!" Naruto remembered. Iruka-sensei had drilled him in the geography of the world, but it had slowly leaked out in the years, though through his recent travels he had been getting a feel of the where countries were. "Why would they attack us?"

"That's the problem - we have no idea. There is no purpose for them to. All reports say their village is doing well. The feudal lord has even allotted them a greater budget, unlike some other countries. But for some reason, they have moved their forces to the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Grass. The Land of grass has almost no military capabilities, so they are helpless to do anything, and the only available ally that will even give the illusion of helping us is the Sunagakure, but they are weakened too, as we are." Neji said all this with an air of sadness.

"What about the other villages? Don't we have alliances and treaties and stuff like that?" Naruto asked. He remembered the day when the representatives from other villages had come to theirs to celebrate the end of the Village Wars. Surely they were obligated to do something?

"No. Those treaties are in essence non-aggression pacts. They won't help the Iwagakure, but they won't help us either. The fear is too great that this could turn into another Village Wars. Sunagakure might help us because they had attacked us in the past, but they are worried that they might be ambushed if they send too many forces here. And we don't even know if Orochimaru might ambush us with the sound village. That's what worries Tsunade-sama the most."

Naruto's eyes narrowed at the mention of the last Sannin besides old lady Tsunade and that old-pervert Jiraiya. Orochimaru was a powerful missing-nin who had created his own village. Had manipulated Sunagakure into attacking them during the chuunin exam over a year ago. Naruto's hands balled into fists. And had taken Sasuke.

"Anyhow, it's good that you are back. Guard positions are empty, and an extra pair of hands would be useful. You don't plan on leaving and _deserting the village in its time of need_, do you Naruto?" Neji said, the corner of his lip curled slyly.

_The little bastard_… Naruto thought. _Of course I wouldn't…would I?_ "Don't worry." He pointed his thumb to his chest. "I'm probably good enough for the front lines. Not _guard duty_." He tried to place as much pity as he could on the last sentence.

"A pity." The jab seemed to go straight over Neji's head. Or else he had purposefully ignored it. "Naruto, you should go say hi to everyone. I'm sure they are wondering how you are, especially Hinata-sama."

"Hinata? Why would she be especially worried?" Asked Naruto curiously. An image of the shy Hyuuga came back to his mind. Hinata had never truly stood out to him during the years – she was just _there_, and lacked the presence that Neji had. But she was a strong fighter, he knew, and he respected her.

Neji groaned inwardly. Even he could tell that Hinata-sama, heir to the main branch family, was what girls referred to as 'crushing' on Naruto. Was the idiot really that blind to other people's emotions?

"Never mind Naruto. I think there are some things you would never understand." Neji shook his head as he spoke.

"Wh-what?" Naruto was taken aback at he wouldn't understand anything. "Just tell me why. Tell me why why why why why!" He demanded, stomping his feet. Nope, he hadn't changed in some ways at all.

Suddenly, Neji stopped Naruto mid-speech, lifting his palm up in a 'stop' gesture. Naruto, knowing what Neji's palm could do, blanched instantly and quieted.

Neji's eyes narrowed and then widened. Veins popped up around his temple and his eyes took on an even whiter hue. Naruto swallowed, and wondered what was happening.

This was Neji's _kekkei genkai_, a blood-limit. It was of Konoha's noble family, the Hyuuga, and allowed the user to see in a 360 degrees circle around them and to even see the chakra flow within people. In someone especially talented, like Neji, he could even see the tenketsu; the chakra points of the body which regulated the flow of chakra and wrapped around the inner organs. Naruto remembered how Neji had used this ability against him in one of the most painful and tiring fights of his life by sealing off his tenketsu. A move that surely would have defeated him if not for the Kyuubi.

"What is it?" Naruto asked quietly.

Neji was silent for a moment, and even looked puzzled for a brief second. "There's…someone there. A strange chakra, but strong. Very strong. I haven't seen such a peculiar chakra before. No…there are two people. Fighting?"

"Where?" Naruto looked around as if he could spot where the person was.

Neji concentrated some more, and his face crunched up. In the vision of his Byakugan, the world was a shadow of white and black and shades of gray. There was the ever present common blue chakra flow, and in some cases, such as Naruto, specks of red lines. There were two people. The first person's chakra flow was a deep purple, almost like a ripe plum. That was the strong one, Neji noted. The other was a much weaker shade of purple. The weaker one threw purple tinged weapons that were somehow deflected. The stronger one waved…her?… hand and made a chopping gesture. The ground where she aimed trembled for a brief second - before exploding in a shower of dirt. There were several fading people on the ground, their chakra a fading blue. They were dying.

"Down the road! People are dying!" Neji began racing down the path. "Naruto, follow me!" Neji ordered.

He didn't need to. Naruto was already right behind him.

"Alright!"

…

They approached the area, several people ran screaming past them for the safety of the village. When they reached the area, what they saw shocked them both into stunned silence. The ground was littered with corpses of merchants and lone stragglers alike. Their eyes were gazed over as a fish's when it dies, and a awkward parody of a scream twisted their faces.

Slightly ahead of them, a young girl fought for her life. She was dressed in a uniform that was once pristine, but now covered in sweat, dirt, and blood. Desperate, she threw daggers at her opponent with unerring accuracy at the other. The few were deflected against an invisible shield, dropping useless into the ground. The last held in mid-air for a second – before turning, and launching backwards at its original owner. The girl's eyes widened and she dodged by flinging herself to the side – but the dagger was guided by an unseen force, and it rammed into her chest with a vicious anger. She fell to the ground, clutching at the dagger in pain.

Her enemy was a tall, regal woman. A finely detailed mask decorated with various gems and shells covered the top half her face. The bottom half was of a young woman, with clear, pale skin and the cruelest smile Neji or Naruto had ever seen. She wore an imposing ruby-red gown that clung like drops of water to her body. She held up one hand, palm spread, and red sparks began to gather at the tips of finger. Fire ignited in a fiery blossom, coming to life. One second later, and it shot out like a cannon. It would hit the woman, and she and everything near her would explode in a blazing inferno.

It would have struck the woman, but it didn't – Neji had moved in front of her as a shield. With a swipe of his hand, now limned in blue chakra, the ball of fire was smashed aside like a baseball, where it exploded to his right with a deafening boom and sent scorched earth showering in the air.

Naruto kneeled down besides the woman. He examined her energy her injury and knew that it was most likely fatal. Even he didn't need to be a medical-nin to know that the dagger and pierced her heart.

"She okay, Naruto?" Neji asked. He didn't take his eyes off the other woman, who had seemed annoyed that the two ninja saved the other. An ugly sneer reached across her face and she lifted her other hand. This time, blue light began to play around hands. Neji grit his teeth. This chakra was too foreign. It was like chakra, but at the same time, not chakra. Would he be able to withstand this one?

"No. She needs help badly, Neji. As in now, or she won't make it. I'm going to bring her to old lady Tsunade." Naruto said in fast-paced tones. He tried to staunch the blood but couldn't – there was too much. Blood gushed up like lava from a volcano with every breath she took. If only old lady Tsunade were here, he wished to himself, she could have done s_omething_. He wouldn't let someone die before him. Clutching her shoulder, he readied to sling her across his shoulder – but the girl grabbed his arm. Her eyes were wide and terrified as she attempted to plead something to him. To make him understand something important.

"No…too late…magic gone…" The girl rasped. Blood began to leak from the sides of her mouth. Her voice was quickly fading, it was an empty wind over an ocean. She weakly reached up around her neck and fumbled with a string strung around her neck.

"What is it?" Naruto asked softly. He wanted to cry for this woman, but he couldn't and knew that she would die here, in his arms. Her wounds were too deep. "What do you want?"

With the last of her strength, the woman snapped the string off. On it's end was a round, flat rock with curvy lines embossed unto its surface. She pressed it against Naruto's hand as if it were her last sacred treasure. Perhaps it was.

"You're not going to die here." Naruto promised, but he knew it was an empty one. She had but a few seconds to live. "I – just – don't worry. I'll bring you to someone that can save you."

"Keystone…take…SeeD…Balamb…please." She placed her hand in Naruto's. Her eyelids snapped shut but her eyes danced wildly underneath. She was doing something, Naruto realized.

Neji had underestimated the other woman. He saw through his Byakugan that the energy that was gathering in her hands was greater than anything he had seen before. It was of such intensity that it blinded him, casting everything in his vision pure white with a sharp contrast of black lines. Great enough, he realized, to blast him, any defense that he could put up, and Naruto away along with a mile tract of land and then some.

"Who are you? Why did you do this?" He asked, a strange desperation in his voice. No. That was the wrong question. His face scrunched up

"…_What_ are you?"

The woman gave a deep, rich laugh that sent all sorts of warning signs going off in Neji. It reminded him of fingernails down a chalkboard. "I'm a being greater than anything you've ever seen, _human_." She said, her mouth twisting with derision. "And I don't need to explain to maggots like you. Now _die_."

"Naruto, run!" Neji yelled. "She's going to take us all out!"

Naruto turned up from the dying girl in his arms. "I can't! She's not dead yet!"

_The idiot!_ Neji thought. He turned around and grabbed Naruto by the collar, forcibly hauling him up. He would make him run whether he liked it or not! "If we stay we're both dead!"

Too late – the other woman had finished her spell. A single word rolled off her blood red lips, and the energy she had gathered released itself in utter and total mindless destruction.

"**Ultima**_."_

A roaring white lance of merciless power obliterated everything in a twenty-food radius. It shot out and swallowed up bodies and dirt and metal indiscriminately. The stream of energy continued unabated for several thousand feet before dying down, then completely sizzling away.

By the time the ultima spell had taken its course, everything in front of the woman had been vaporized.

She grinned.


	2. Hi Doctor!

Naruto : Dual Worlds 2 – Hi Doctor!

…

…

…

Naruto was in the midst of the dream; and it was one of the strangest, yet most oddly fascinating dreams he had ever had. He was falling. And falling and falling and falling. And it was felt nice to, the churning feeling in his stomach as inertia left him and gravity departed.

That was, until he fell, with a deafening slap tummy first, into a giant, steaming bowl of tempura udon. Naruto drooled and giggled crazily to himself as noodles the size of pythons swam temptingly around him. Then he realized the bowl was steaming, and his eyes shot open. A sudden – scalding feeling burnt his skin as his world burst into hot pain. He screamed.

…

…

…

And opened his eyes to a world of blinding white.

Naruto had never felt so drowsy in his life before. It was a feeling of drugged up dizziness greater than that one time Jiraiya had 'accidentally' misplaced his water flask with distilled essence of sake. He had felt the effect for days afterward. Right now he was on his back, and several people were touching him, rubbing something warm and cold and icky feeling over his body.

Several soft voices trailed around him, whispering – or was it yelling? Naruto couldn't tell. His consciousness had scattered like so many small beads and gathering them up to focus on anything was just too much for him. But he tried. He knit his mental eyebrow and pushed until voices began to string themselves together again. Then an even greater pain figuratively knocked him on his ass, and Naruto was unconscious yet again.

…

…

…

When Naruto opened his eyes this time, there surroundings were decidedly visible. He was lying on a soft bed, and a thick woolen sheet was draped over him. He wore a warm pair of cotton pants that itched against his butt and a white shirt that was soaked in sweat. He groaned, and tried to sit up from his bed, but almost puked up the contents of his stomach as a dizzying wave of unease washed through him.

A gentle, cold hand touched his shoulder. "Don't overdo it, kiddo." Naruto turned and saw that the speaker was a plump middle-aged woman with large, brown eyes and an upswept hairdo that was neatly tied into the bun on her back. She had kind smile, the type Naruto thought belonged to moms when they were playing with their children and Naruto felt an instant like towards this woman, much like that he felt towards that old lade Tsunade.

"Hmm." She said, bringing out a little pocket flashlight and pointing it and Naruto's eyes. "Your eyes look fine to me. Say your name for me."

"Naruto. Uzumaki Naruto." Naruto responded,

"Good. No lasting brain damage." Dr. Kadowaki remarked. "It would have been trouble if you did. Uzumaki Naruto was it?" She reached to her side and brought out a thin notepad, and proceeded to scribble down a few notes.

"Who…who are you?" Naruto managed to stammer out.

"I'm Doctor Kadowaki. Right now you're in the Balamb Garden infirmary." Dr. Kadowaki said.

Naruto was puzzled at the strange sounding name. "Where?" He asked.

"Balamb. Baalaammbbb." The doctor said, stretching out each syllable. Her eyes danced with likable humor.

"I'm not deaf yah know." Naruto pouted his lips and made a little 'humph' sound, then attempted to cross his arms. He gave a little yelp and stopped when the pain of moving almost shocked him into unconsciousness again.

"Calm down." Dr.Kadowaki said with a hint of worry. "You're still not fully healed yet."

"What happened to me?" Naruto asked curiously. "Why'm I here?" Then he remembered everything. The two women fighting, the dying one ripping off her pendant to place in his hand, a blazing white light, and then his and Neji's intermingled screams…Neji? "Where's Neji!" The question burst out from his lips.

"Neji?" Dr. Kadowaki's eyes furrowed, then shot up as she realized who Naruto referred to. "The boy with the long black hair?"

"Yeah yeah! Is he alright?" Naruto asked worriedly. "He was with me when that…woman…attacked us." He wouldn't be able face Lee or Tenten if they knew something had happened to Neji that was his fault.

Dr. Kadowaki was much more quiet now, and her lips pursed in the same way that someone did when they had bad news to tell. "Well…he…" Dr. Kadowaki began.

"He's alive, right?" Naruto asked, his heart palpitated with fear that the Hyuuga might have died and a dry sweat broke out all over him in the few seconds before Dr. Kadowaki's response. When Dr. Kadowaki nodded her head, he prayed thanks to whatever god up there was helping him out.

"He's alive, but…he's in a coma." Dr. Kadowaki gushed out at last, then began explaining what had happened. "When Dollet found you two on the beach, both of you suffered from serious physical injuries. They sent you here to Garden because we're the only place on the island with the necessary paramagical and technological equipment to deal with such cases. You and the other boy, Neji, suffered from high-level first degree burns along with numerous cuts, lesions, and infections. We brought in a professor from one of the magic classes who examined you, and determined that you had suffered an unguarded strike from a forbidden-magic. Most likely Ultima or Flare, but we can't be one hundred percent sure until the residual magic tests come back."

"Ultima…and flare?" Naruto tilted his head to the side. _Was that a special technique?_ _A fire based one, perhaps?_ He wondered.

Whatever it was, it had hurt like _hell._

"Yes. Those are spells classified as extremely dangerous. Only a select people are capable of wielding them without burning up their essence. That they would use it on two young children itself is appalling, but what surprised everyone at the infirmary was that you two survived." Dr. Kadowaki said with voice tinged with excitement. "We had a very long

"Where you two came from and where you got those burns is still a mystery. And you two were lucky. Forbidden magic is almost certainly fatal at point blank, however, for some reason, only your clothes and possessions were destroyed. We also had a few Full-Cure's with some elixirs on stock. This is SeeD examination period, so we often use those up quickly. It patched you right up, but you'll probably be hurting for the next few days."

"Then why is Neji in a coma and I'm not?" A creeping feeling of guilt leapt up Naruto's mind. If only he had run like Neji had said, he thought, none of this would have happened.

"His body for, some reason, doesn't wash off the lingering traces of the magic. It's a unique case, actually, as he didn't suffer head trauma. He should wake in a few weeks, perhaps, maybe even sooner. You're wounds on the other hand healed up quicker than we thought." Dr. Kadowaki shook her head in amazement. "Two cases that defied all medical analyses."

_So It was the Kyuubi_, Naruto knew, the nine-tailed demon fox within him. "Heh. I get that response sometimes."

"Well enough of the chit chat! I have some other pressing cases I have to attend to. One of the fourth-level magic classes overdid the mock battle and now there are all sorts of spell burns and frost bites." Dr. Kadowaki said with finality, slapping her hands on her lap and lifting herself up from her chair for emphasis.

"You're free to roam about Garden if you like, as long as it isn't a restricted area. If you're hungry, you should go to the cafeteria. Here – you can use my card to get anything you want. You also have to use it to enter other places, since most require I.D verification. " Dr. Kadowaki fished through her pocket and held out a thin plastic card to Naruto. He looked at it for a moment, and then accepted it with a nod for thanks. "You can visit your friend too; he should be in the next room." Dr. Kadowaki pointed to another door that led to the room where Neji was in. "And Headmaster Cid would also like to meet you. He'll stop by here around," Dr. Kadowaki glanced at her watch, ", around 8:00, so be back by then. Don't be late."

Naruto nodded blankly. Where exactly was he? He had never heard of SeeD or Garden or Balamb before. "I'll be back by then." Naruto promised. And with that, Dr. Kadowaki left the room.

Naruto sat back for a few minutes, digesting the information. Alright. He could already imagine how he would begin to explain the events to that old pervert Jiraiya_. Some skinny woman attacked me and Neji, then I woke up in an infirmary bed in Balamb after almost dying, while Neji was knocked into a coma! Happens everyday!_ Naruto thought. No. That wouldn't go over very well. Not at all.

He sighed, leaned back, closed his eyes and wished everything were just a very bad dream.

**HAHA THAT IS A GOOD ONE BOY. THIS IS NOT A DREAM, HOWEVER, AND THIS LAND IS VERY FOREIGN INDEED.**

Naruto waved the loud voice away, tired to the world. Okay, so this was a foreign land after all? Just _great_. Then his eyes snapped open. Had something just _spoke_ to him? "Who's there?" Naruto asked warily. He reached behind for pouch that held his weapons, only to find it gone.

**FEAR NOT CHILD. IT IS I, THE BEING TRAPPED WITHIN YOU. WE HAVE MET BEFORE.**

_Kyuu…bi?_ Naruto thought. But how could the fox speak to him? He only ever saw the fox when he meditated, and entered his own consciousness. "How are you…" He began, then stopped. He didn't need to speak out loud to commune with the nine-tails. _Naruto thought_ to himself, though it seemed a bit ridiculous to him. _How are you…speaking to me?_

**THIS WORLD IS AMAZING. IT IS OF NOTHING I HAVE EVER SEEN. THE FLOW OF CHAKRA, OF ENERGY ITSELF WORKS DIFFERENTLY HERE THAN ELSEWHERE. I HAVE SEEN MUCH SINCE MY CREATION, BUT NOT YET SOMETHING LIKE THIS. IT IS SURELY OF A DIFFERENT WORLD.**

_A different world? You're joking me right?_ Naruto thought. But why would the kyuubi lie to him now? And it was right…Naruto himself had felt something strange within himself, a shifting of the chakra that had once sealed the demon fox within him and rearranged itself slightly, as if adjusting to this new land. _That sounds stupid_. _Is that even possible?_ Naruto asked the fox.

**WHERE DO YOU THINK I COME FROM, BOY, OR THAT DISGUSTING FROG THAT YOU SUMMON USING MY CHAKRA. THEY ARE BROUGHT OVER FROM ANOTHER DIMENSION USING CHAKRA. THIS WORLD IS SURELY NO DIFFERENT. IT IS AMUSING, FOR I HAVE BEGUN TO BORE IN THE YEARS.**

Naruto thought about it, and it seemed reasonable to him. Gamabunta, the giant boss frog, was summoned from elsewhere he knew, but he had never before wondered where. _So tell me, you dumb fox, is there any way to get back?_

**IF I KNEW, YOU WOULD BE THE LAST I WOULD TELL. IF YOUR LIFE IS NOT IN DANGER, THEN I SHALL ENJOY SAVORING THIS WORLD. PERHAPS IF YOU RELEASE ME FROM MY SEAL, I MIGHT BRING YOU BACK.**

Naruto tried not to sneer. "Yah, sure. Let me release you so you can eat me up and go on a killing rampage. I'm not _stupid_ you know!"

**ARE YOU SURE ABOUT THAT? YOUR ACTIONS SINCE YOUR BIRTH HAVE PROVEN OTHERWISE.**

The insult made Naruto jump off the bed in anger, ignoring the jabbing pains as his aching joints groaned at the sharp movements. He pointed to no one in particular and began yelling at himself. Outside, a new intern walked past the door, saw Naruto ranting at the wall, and quickly walked away. "Stupid fox! At least I'm not trapped like you are!"

**THAT MIGHT NOT BE SO. THIS WORLD OFFERS MANY INTERESTING OPPURTUNITIES. BUT LEST I HELP YOU CONTROL ME, I SHALL STAY SILENT AND OBSERVE. **

"This isn't over yet you stupid fox!" Naruto stomped his feet against the ground. When the kyuubi didn't respond after a few more minutes, Naruto knew that the nine-tails had retreated back to wherever it lived inside him.

Then his stomach grumbled.

Naruto clutched his belly and doubled over. "Ooh…I'm hungry" He moaned.

He held up the card that Dr. Kadowaki had given him. Maybe he would get something to eat from the cafeteria? He had plenty of free time anyways, he reasoned to himself.

Naruto turned and walked over to the door where Neji was. He tried to open the door, but the metal-shod door didn't budge. What the hell? He wondered. There weren't any handles! Then he saw that there was a little metal sensor that jutted from the side just the right size for sliding a card. A little red light flashed on its edge. _Ahh…_He realized. _This must have been was Dr. Kadowaki was telling me about…_He fumbled with the thin plastic for a moment not wanting to break it, and after a few tries and turning the card left and right, the door finally opened with a soft hum.

The room that he entered was a plain and small little square. A table rested on the side, and sunlight streamed in from a square window. Neji lay still on the bed that was placed against the wall of the room. He was tucked neatly under a fuzzy blanket. Several jars of yellow little flowers, daisies by the look of it, rested on the table with handwritten cards propped open, and Naruto walked over, curiosity getting the best of him. Who would send Neji cards?

Naruto read of them. It was a poorly drawn gaudy stick figure done in pastel crayons addressed to 'The long-haired boy on the beach'.

"Hope you get well. My friends I found you and your friend lying in the sand, but we aren't SeeD yet so we couldn't help you much." Naruto read from the card. The spelling was worse than his and the words were dotted with hearts in a multicolor galore, meaning that it must have come from a little kid. The people that found him and Neji on the sand must have been worried for him so they sent a card hoping he would get better.

_Wait_. He thought. Something seemed suspicious to him. He flipped open all the other cards. Each was addressed to a description of Neji and only mentioned Naruto as the 'blond boy'.

His mouth twisted sourly and his shoulders slumped. "They didn't send_ me_ anything." He muttered.

But all thoughts of jealousy melted away as he turned to Neji. The Hyuuga was still as death, but still breathing. The cursed seal was visible on Neji's forehead, only lightly covered by stray strands of hair. Naruto approached Neji apprehensively. A deep unsettling feeling of guilt blossomed on Naruto. "I'm sorry Neji. I should have listened to you."

He took Neji's hand in his own. "Don't worry. I'll get you back somehow." His voice was quiet and solemn. This was one of the rare moments that Naruto was serious, and when he made his vow, he would make sure he see it through hell or high water.

After staying in the room for a few more minutes, Naruto quietly left. The door swooshed shut behind him, and he walked out the other door that Dr. Kadowaki had left from earlier. It led him to a long hallway with doors spaces even between. He must have just come out of one of the rooms, Naruto realized. Some interns wondered the hall in white shifts, apparently tending to the other injured people. He approached one of them, a very pretty brunette with pigtails.

"Excuse me!" Naruto said loudly, catching her attention. She turned to see who called her, then looked down, and smiled at the young boy.

"Oh, you're the boy that those kids found on the beach a few days ago." She looked him over, grabbing him by the shoulders and turning him around for a quick inspection. "You've patched up! That's great! So how can I help you?"

"Ahh…how do I get to the cafeteria?" Naruto asked. His stomach growled once again, loudly, and the girl held back a giggle.

"I _can_ hear that you're very hungry." The girl said with a smile. Naruto flushed red with embarrassment. "Well I transferred the Dollet hospital so I don't know the place that well. But if you." The girl pouted her lips for a moment. "Go down this hall and you'll come to a giant circular path. That's the main hall. And then, I think, it's the second door on the right. That should lead you to the North block. Go straight down there and you'll arrive at the cafeteria."

"All right!" Naruto thanked the lady with a bow. "Thanks a lot!" And then he was off, running.

The girl looked down at the quickly vanishing yellow-headed blur and then something hit her. She groaned and face-palmed herself for not remembering the exact locations of all the Garden areas.

"Oh wait…I think that led to the training area…"

…

…

…

…

Naruto ran down the hallway, skidding to a halt, before launching himself left where the girl had told him to go. He was hungry, and he knew how to get to the cafeteria. _Hehe_, he grinned deviously. _I hope Dr. Kadowaki doesn't get mad when I max out her card._

He cut through another carpet lined hallway and finally came to one of the entrances into a large circular building. The floor of this area was covered in granite and steel, shades of neutral and cool colors that reminded Naruto much of a fortress. The roof of the building however, arched into a clear glass dome that was supported by several metal beams. Large floodlights hung from the top, probably to be turned on at night to emulate real light. A round, giant pillar that resembled an iron monolith was in the center, extending hundreds of feet into the air, and people gathered in groups around it's side, or at one of the many touch screens that were placed around it. Naruto slowed down to a fast-paced trot so that he could take in the new place.

A few of the teens stared at him with steely eyes, as if wondering what a shoeless little kid like him was doing wandering around. But they didn't approach him. _Good_, Naruto thought_, or I might have had to beat em' up if they got between the cafeteria and me_. The farther he got from the infirmary, the more people there seemed to be. Most were teenagers with a few adults here and there, Naruto observed. _Was this a school of some sort?_ But upon closer inspection, most carried something that resembled…weapons?

He made one last turn and then stopped himself. It was strange, he thought. The hallway had become creepily empty for a while. The floor itself had gone from smooth, earth-toned marble and granite to harsh steel beams.

He followed the path for another minute, passing through another large opening. Then he came into what seemed to be thickly foliage covered forest. He could hear insects buzzing in the air, and that moist-scent that only a forest could produce. And the unknown roars of animals. The path he was on ended in a large clearing that split off into two more paths, one on the left and one on the right. Both seemed ominously dangerous.

"What the hell…" Naruto scratched his head and recalled what directions he had turned at. "Did I go down somewhere else?" Unless the cafeteria was a jungle like this, which he doubted, he had definitely gone down the wrong hallway. As he began to turn around and retrace his steps, a great roar caught his attention. It was a primal roar, something that stirred a flight-or-fight instinct in Naruto, that excited the kyuubi within him. The ground began to shake as if someone were beating a drum louder and louder…

_Thump! Thump! Thump!_

He turned to the middle of the clearing where he thought the sound was coming from. Then, a blond woman burst out of the foliage, directly into the middle of the pathway. She wore a tight orange dress that melded to her bodice and, Naruto noted, she was more beautiful than he was when he did his _Sexy no Jutsu,_ though her looks were dulled the splotches of dirt on her face. Her sapphire eyes were widened in alert as she looked behind her for something. She was breathing heavily; her clothes were torn in several areas and stained with funky green ooze and red blood. _Her_ blood, Naruto realized. She carried a long leather whip that was tied up into a little circle. And oddly, she was wearing high-heeled shoes.

When she saw him, her eyes widened in alarm.

"How'd a boy get in here? Goddamn security! You - !" She pointed a slender finger at Naruto as she pushed herself up, her whip slithering to the floor as she prepared for something. Something dangerous. "Stand back! They're coming!"

"What's coming?" Naruto yelled back, confusion written all over his face. He looked behind her and his eyes almost popped out of his head.

The trees behind cracked and fell to the ground. Two giant reptilian creatures with malice-filled eyes emerged from foliage, with mottled brown skin scored with several bloody whiplashes and burns. They had towering bodies like a wingless dragon. Their arms were razor-claws and their feet looked ridiculous in how it supported itself. But the worse feature was their jaws. It was an endless maw of wicked teeth that snapped open and shut like a trap, designed to kill and eat smaller creatures…like humans. Their muscular tails swung once, and two trees snapped at the trunk, severed by the force.

The two mighty T-Rexaur reared up their repugnant heads and let loose a bellow that shook the floor.

Naruto gulped.

…

…

…

OOC Neji - _In his dream to himself_: Ooo…Tenten…you're such a bad girl…use the kunai…

…


	3. Dino Rumble

Naruto: Dual Worlds 3 – Dino Rumble

…

I don't own Naruto, but I'll trade you my pokemon card collection for the rights to Tenten!

…

…

…

Naruto felt naked.

He wasn't literally naked, but in the terrifying presence of two vicious T-Rexaurs that were well over five or six times his height without shoes, weapons, and clothed only in a white shirt with loose cotton pants, he decided he was naked enough.

The pair of monsters had burst from the cover of strange jungle, following a breathtaking blond woman. Naruto had no idea why there was a jungle here, had no idea why there were dinosaurs, and damn sure didn't know why there was a girl being attacked by them, but he sure was going to do something about it. He steeled himself, his mouth tightening and began to form a series of seals, chakra molding in his body.

Meanwhile, one of the T-Rexaur had lashed out with its muscular tail. The tail was over thirty feet long and twice the width of the woman. If it hit her, it would have crushed her. But she dodged, and the tail slammed an indent into the earth where she was. Her whip lashed out, and carved a bloody ribbon into the reptile's thick skin. It opened its maw and roared, then ran after her.

"**Kagebunshin no jutsu!**" Naruto yelled. Suddenly there wasn't one Naruto; there was half a dozen. The shadow clones raced toward the lone T-Rexaur, an obnoxious gang of angry, shoeless ninja while the real Naruto rushed over to help the girl.

"I'm coming to help you -!" Naruto began, but stopped, when the girl lifted her one hand and pointed one delicate digit at the creature. Her eyes widened for a split second and a single arcane word escaped from her lips. No, it wasn't a word, Naruto swiftly realized, nor was it like any technique he had seen before. It was a command of the mind, relayed by chakra from owner to recipient and the girl said it with a final authority that would not be disobeyed.

"**Sleep."**

And the T-Rexaur stopped in its track, gave a tiny mewl, and fell to its side in apparent, blissful rest.

"- You need…uhh…help…?" Naruto finished awkwardly as he skid to a halt in front of the beautiful woman.

Well, it looked like she didn't need help or any blonde hero to the rescue. He sweat-dropped.

The girl final turned to him after wiping beads of sweat from her face. She had a look of consternation on her fine features, and Naruto noticed that she wore a pair of thin-framed wire glasses. Close up, she was even more beautiful than she was from afar. "Didn't I tell you to run away?" The girl said. She sounded frustrated. "You could seriously get hurt kid and I don't want to file any more reports than is absolutely necessary." Her eyes widened as she looked behind him and saw the shadow clones still tangling with the T-Rexaur. There were three clones left, and they were popping away in puffs of smoke one by one.

"You did that?" She asked at last, pointing to the shadow clones as they desperately dodged the T-Rexaurs fangs.

"Yup! Those are my _kagebunshin_, a _jounin_ level technique." He emphasized the words_ jounin _proudly in a futile attempt to impress her.

Her stare remained passive, wondering. "Impressive." Her fingers snapped twice. "What's your name and number? Are you a new cadet?" She asked. This time her voice held a much greater deal of respect.

"Naruto. Uzumaki Naruto." Naruto replied with a toothy smile. "And no. I'm a ninja from Konoha."

She laughed and itt was like bells on a winter sunset. "Kids and ninjas these days; everyone wants to be one. Okay ninja boy, I'm Quistis Trepe, newly promoted instructor." Quistis began, but stopped as she saw that there was only one shadow clone left. "Let's talk later, I need to deal with these T-Rexaurs first. It's going to take me a while since I just used up my last status spell. I should have stocked up before I came on some grats before this."

"I'll help!" Naruto exclaimed loudly. "Which one do you want me to handle, huh huh?" He rubbed his hands eagerly, ready to put his new training to use, and looked at each T-Rexaur in turn until his eyes settled on the one that was still awake.

"I don't think you should - " Quistis suddenly stopped and raised her arms in a blocking gesture. The massive tail of a T-Rexaur slammed into her side, sending her flying across the clearing, and a horrible crunch cracked the air as several bones in her arms and chest broke at once. It appeared her spell hadn't been so effective after all – the T-Rexaur was waking, and its tail had begun flailing randomly. She landed with a sickening thud – right next to the T-Rexaur that had just finished the last shadow clone.

"_Nee-san_!" Naruto screamed out. He hoped the dinosaur didn't kill her. As he prepared to run to her side, the sleeping T-Rexaur fully awoke from its sleep, this time angrier than before. It displayed rows of razor-sharp teeth as a crazed look entered its reptilian eyes and it leapt at its nearest target – Naruto. Naruto dodged to the side – just before the dinosaur would have bowled him over. In an impossible feat of dexterity, the dinosaur swung on its tiny feet in a 180-degree angle and rushed towards him again.

He turned to the T-Rexaur and performed another series of seals. **"Doton! Doryuuheki! (Earth Release: Earth Wall!)**" Chakra solidified in his extended chest and he gagged as warmness crept up his throat. He spat a stream of mud on the floor in an uneven line. With one last seal, a solid block of gray rock shot into the air, reaching slightly higher than the dinosaur. Naruto smiled as he heard a giant thud – that of the T-Rexaur slamming head first into the hard wall. It was a new technique he lad learned just a month ago. Tiny compared to that old man Jiraiya's, but good enough to do the job. The smile was wiped off his face as another thud sounded through it, then another.

A crack began in the center, and began spreading outwards like a finely boiled eggshell. Then the wall gave, exploding outwards and showering Naruto with dirt and pebbles.

Quistis struggled to her feet. "Damn." She said as pain shot through her dangling arm and chest. "Didn't expect it too recover so soon." She inventoried her pain. _Broke several bones in my arm and ribcage._

She clutched her broken arm and whispered, "**Cura."** A harsh but soothing pain swept up her body as motes of soft green light peeped through her fingers. Bone mended and flesh reformed itself in the space of a few seconds. She breathed out, and tested her arm with a good whirl. She would have gone over to Naruto's side, but decided if those clones were actually his, he would be able to handle himself. And – she turned around and the retched breath of the T-Rexaur hit her – she had someone else to worry about.

Quistis pondered the possible plans she could take. Her status magic had run out, and she hadn't much healing magic left either. She did, however, have several high-level offensive magics in her. But how would she use it? Then she had no time to think as the T-Rexaur lunged towards her. She brought her whip out waved it in the air. As the T-Rexaur came near her, she simply sidestepped at the last moment– and screamed out her frustration as she smashed the leather surface of the whip as hard as she could into its ugly face.

The T-Rexaur screamed into the air as a football-sized eyeball now hung useless from its socket. It's tail curled menacingly at its side. It approached Quistis cautiously, knowing the pain of her whip.

"Good. Use your tail..." Quistis encouraged, prodding the dinosaur with a few more intimidating whiplashes. She bent her legs down, and prepared herself. When the T-Rexaur flashed out its tail as she expected, she propelled herself into the air and the tail flew by just under her. The whip lashed out and wrapped itself around the tail's girth several times. When the T-Rexaur swung its tail back, the force pulled Quistis along with it, and she released herself into the air – landing directly on the T-Rexaur's back. She scrabbled up its rough skin towards its neck, her hands almost slipping several times, and held on as the T-Rexaur attempted to dislodge her by bucking itself. When she felt she had a good aim, she placed her hands together at the back of its head and concentrated.

"**Firaga!" **Red light gathered at the tips of her fingers for a split second – then flashed out in a roaring blaze. It engulfed the head of the T-Rexaur in a conflagration and Quistis jumped down, landing gently on her high-heels and knees as the creature roared out in its death throes. She leaned over without looking back at the creature and picked up her whip, wrapping it around her hand then hooking it to a small metal clip on her belt.

The T-Rexaur wobbled for a bit as magic fire at through its mind, hungrily devouring skin and bone and brain matter and regurgitating it as blackened charcoal. Then it fell, and the ground shook one last time as the once proud dinosaur died.

She looked over at Naruto, and her eyes narrowed like a cats as she saw how the young ninja was doing. "Maybe he wasn't joking about being a ninja after all." She whispered to no one in particular.

When Naruto's earth wall had shattered under the T-Rexaur's strength, he made one final desperate seal – then the dino's questing mouth bit down on his body, and sliced it cleanly in half. It chewed for a second, then spit back the contents. It was a saliva covered wooden log. The reptile roared out its rage for losing its prey.

From the dinosaur's left side, Naruto appeared, and ran directly _towards_ the creature. But this time, in the palm of his right hand, was a spinning, destructive orb of bright blue chakra. The concentration and movement was so high that the normally invisible chakra began to radiate on the visible spectrum.

He approached. **"Rasengan!"** Naruto screamed out as his rasengan tore through dinosaur's obscenely tiny leg. Tendons and muscles split apart and bones splintered as the leg gave way to the pure, tearing chakra. The dinosaur roared some more, then teetered like the giant it was as it tried to steady itself on one leg, and finally fell to the ground on its side with a 'thump'.

The scene of a T-Rexaur lying on its side would have made Naruto laugh, if it weren't so macabre. The T-Rexaur scratched vainly at the dirt as it tried to right itself, and blood leaked from it's wound in a sea of dripping red.

Quistis was suddenly besides the T-Rexaur. She lifted a hand towards its snapping jaws and Naruto saw her whisper another word. To his surprise, without even performing hand seals, red light blazed from her palm and fire engulfed the T-Rexaur. "Wow." He mouthed out in awe. In a few moments later it was finally still.

She then turned to him, fixing him with an inquisitive look. "I've never seen a spell like that, that blue-orb you used. Are you a blue-user?"

Naruto shook his head in confusion, not sure what she meant. Did she mean blue as in water? Water user? "Isn't your arm injured?" He asked. He was unsure of what the creature was, but it had been big. "That thing hit you pretty hard." He made an arc gesture with his hand to show her just how high she had flown.

"It did, but I fixed it with a cura spell. It might hurt for a bit though." Quistis explained, walking over to Naruto. "Did you get injured anywhere?"

Naruto shook his head. "Nah, something like that isn't enough to get _me_. What's a cura?"

"Healing magic. You don't know?"

"Ah…I'm not really familiar with it yet." _These people don't know where I'm from, I should be a bit more quiet about it…_

"What was that thing?" Naruto asked again. "I think I saw those in a museum picture book once, when Iruka-sensei dragged the class to the Konoha Depository of History. Though maybe Sakura-chan gives me that look sometimes…"

"That." Quistis said, waving towards the remains of the two T-Rexaur, "Is a T-Rexaur, the toughest beast in the training area. Usually you don't see more than one at a time because they're very territorial. Or at least, they were _supposed_ to be." Quistis didn't say, but she was somewhat shocked that Naruto, a young boy in her eyes, had managed to incapacitate one. And there was something about that concentration of magic and those clones he had produced…no…was it paramagical power or a blue? A limit break? She prided herself on her knowledge of magic and magical theory, but this grated on her mind.

A light bulb lit in her head. _This must be the boy that Headmaster Cid wanted me to take a look at_, she realized. The facts came unbidden to her mind. _Two unknown boys had been found naked and half-dead on the beach, scorched by forbidden magic. And the boys had survived it too, without any sort of magic defense junction or shield. The blond boy shows residual traces of having an unknown Guardian Force junctioned to him, but efforts to remove it have failed. _She had planned to head to the infirmary after her patrol, but had been sidetracked by a call for help.

"Why were they chasing you?" Naruto wondered aloud. Indeed, what would she be doing actively looking for creatures like that?

Quistis tapped her hells for a second before answering. "Well I had volunteered for patrol duty in the training area. It's what we do to help protect the cadets and trainees if they are overwhelmed. Normally they are taught to run, but some idiot," Quistis made a sour face at the memory. "Decided to stay and fight off two T-Rexaurs though he wasn't even junctioned to any status magic. I had to distract those two T-Rexaur as he ran away. Cadet quality lowers every year it seems. It never would have happened in _my_ days."

"Ahh." Naruto said, digesting the information. Wait. Training? They trained on_ those _things? He had heard about life-or-death situations, but one little bite – no – one big bite would end almost anyone. "You train on those?" Naruto said, unable to hide the incredulity in his voice.

"There are a number of weaker monsters in the training area. T-Rexaur are pretty rare, but you can run from those if it's too much."

"Run? Those things are fast!" He remembered how quickly the T-Rexaur had turned and almost bitten him in half.

"Status magic. Sleep, stop, slow, paralyze, any of those work." Quistis felt as though she were reciting to the cadets again.

Naruto wisely chose to not further pursue the safety of whatever training method these people used. After all, that old pervert Jiraiya had _thrown _him into a near bottomless ravine to make him summon Gamabunta, and this was decidedly less dangerous in its own way. "That makes more sense I guess. Ah, by the way, do we have to clean those up? Those are uh, kinda big." Naruto sweat-dropped. Cleaning was his least favorite task of all.

"No need. The jungle takes care of itself. There will be animals over those corpses soon enough." Quistis took her glasses off along with a clean handkerchief from a pocket Naruto hadn't noticed before and began wiping it clean. "I think the question is what are _you_ doing here? Didn't you see the sign outside that said 'only SeeD and authorized personnel' may enter?"

Naruto blanched. He had been in such hurry to find the cafeteria that he had ignored all the signs. "I was trying to get to the cafeteria, but I guess I took the wrong route…sorry if I caused you any trouble." Naruto grinned again. Then his stomach made itself known in the form of a deafening 'gurgle gurgle'. He clutched his tummy at the noise and his face screwed up.

Quistis laughed. "You're a strange boy. All right, I'll bring you to the cafeteria then. Seeing as to how you helped me out, dinner is on me." She gave Naruto her first once-over and her gaze stopped at his feet. "And some new shoes."

"Yes!" Naruto pumped his hand into the air and began dancing around happily.

A strange boy indeed.

….

….

….

After the fight, Quistis had led him to the dorm room entrance, which was the opposite side away from the training area. She had told him to wait outside for a minute, and half an hour later, she came back freshly washed and dressed with a baggy set of clothes and a new pair of sneakers in her hands. She handed the two-sizes too large cadet uniform along with the shoes to Naruto with a 'sorry, this is the smallest I could find' excuse. Naruto pinched his lips but wore the rigid clothes anyways. It sagged over his shoulders and the pants pooled to the floor. However, the shoes were just the right size.

"Jeez, this is kinda big, don't you think?" Naruto said, commenting on how ridiculous he looked.

Quistis chuckled. "Don't worry it's just temporary. One of the cadets is going over to Dollet today, and I asked him to bring over some of his little brother's clothes."

"I supposed I should be thanking you right now?" Naruto grumbled.

"Nope. It's my pleasure."

After that, Quistis led him down he curving paths of the giant Garden building, and they finally arrived at the cafeteria. When they did, Naruto forgot everything he had said, and could stare at the cornucopia of possible choices to choose from. The cafeteria was similar to a giant, domed auditorium, supported by several columns that rose to the roof. It was sleek and futuristic, yet homey at the same time. Several potted trees and plants dotted the area, and cadets and SeeDs and instructors conversed with each other around the cafeteria premises. An entire wall was made from mounted glass and pale sunlight streamed through. _It must be getting late_, Naruto realized. Several mounted lights were turned on, infusing the room in a gentle glow.

Dozens upon dozens of round tables littered the floor and chatting students occupied many of them. Another wall was dedicated to food. Just food. Hotdogs, curry, ramen, steak, burgers, fries, shakes, drinks, sushi, fried food, broiled food, baked food, and all sorts of food he had never seen before. Dozens of the stands lined the wall, calling, beckoning, to Naruto. And he obeyed.

Naruto sniffed the air. And it was pure ecstasy.

"I'm so…happy…" Naruto said, nearly crying. He ran towards the stand while Quistis stood stock still with a 'whoa' expression plastered on her face. She quickly recovered, and followed Naruto as he stopped to the closest stand there was with ramen.

"I'll have," He began pointing excitedly at the many different kinds, "That one and that one and that one and that one please!" The harried worker promptly obeyed as Quistis sweat-dropped and tried to apologize to the waiter for Naruto.

A few minutes later, the waiter came back with a tray filled with several bowls of steaming ramen, and Quistis reached to her side and produced a thin identification card and gave it to the water. The waiter slid it through a tiny machine then gave it back to her. As Naruto tried to prevent the hot ramen from tipping over onto him, Quistis found and empty table and they sat down together.

"You want some, _nee-san_?" Naruto said. He quickly peeled the complimentary wooden chopsticks and made a little prayer to himself, then dug in like there was no tomorrow.

"No. I don't particularly like ramen that much." Quistis responded.

Naruto nearly choked, and began coughing violently in disbelief. "You don't like ramen?" How could _anyone_ not like ramen? It was unthinkable. Absolutely unthinkable.

"I'm more of a curry person myself." Quistis said and Naruto calmed down. Curry was okay too, he reasoned.

Naruto ate in silence, or as silent as he could get while he was slurping and chewing, while Quistis watched in a mixture of disgust and fascination as he downed bowl after bowl of ramen. When he finished, he patted his stomach in bliss and leaned back in the chair. "Ooo…that was delicious."

"You sure have a talent for…eating." Quistis said. "So tell me Naruto."

"Yeah?" Naruto's voice was hazed over with happiness.

"Where did you learn magic?"

"Magic?"

"Those clones and that blue-orb you used to topple the T-Rexaur."

"Ahhh." Naruto clapped his table against his hand. "Well that's_ ninjutsu_, not magic."

"_Ninjutsu_?" Quistis had never heard of something like that before.

"Ninja techniques, you know, like _genjutsu _and _taijutsu_."

"Ninja?"

"Ninja."

Quistis was silent for a moment. Was the little boy joking with her? Surely he didn't expect her to believe in _ninjas_. Well, whatever it was, Headmaster Cid would probably explain to her. And about the Headmaster…

"When were you supposed to meet with the Headmaster, Naruto? Did anyone from the infirmary tell you to go back, or did you wander off by yourself." Quistis asked.

"Of course not, I'm not a little kid you know." Naruto ignored Quistis' smirk. "How did you know that I was supposed to meet with someone?"

"I'm also supposed to be there. It's quite the coincident that I met you in the training area."

"Oh. Um…Dr. Kadowaki said to be back by 8:00, I think. There's some guy named Cid that ones to see me for some reason."

Quistis looked around the cafeteria until she saw a round clock on the wall. The digital clock blinked out the time to her – 7:56.

"Naruto! It's 7:56! You're going to be late! _I'm_ going to be late!" Quistis jumped to her feet and Naruto jumped up unconsciously. She had never been late to an appointment in her life, and she damn well wasn't going to start now!

"What about?" Then his mouth made a silent 'o' as he realized. "I'm supposed to be back in four minutes!" He yelled out. He turned around and picked up his tray of now empty bowls. "Arghh! I lost track of time!"

He hastily dumped the tray in the nearest garbage bin and followed Quistis, who was already pacing quickly ahead of him.

Why was he _always_ late?

…

…

…

It was a vast, endless abyss. It was a chamber of dark night, emptier than hell. High walls rose around the chamber in arcs of breath-taking architecture. A giant golden cross held up motionless in the air.

And underneath that cross, was a single high rise that ended in a throne. Red satin lined with jewels and countless other priceless materials hung lazily from the imposing chair. A woman sat on that chair, clothed in what seemed like the stars themselves. Numerous lights danced across her bodice and her expression was hidden behind an fine, azure mask. She lifted an imposing hand, and two beings in front of her bowed.

Her voice was majestic. A symphony; an orchestra of pain. It embodied all emotions and none and seemed as if it echoed across time itself.

**SERVANTS OF MINE**. She said and the two nodded. **I HAVE PAID A HIGH PRICE TO WREST YOUR SOULS FROM THE MAW OF HELL. NOW GO! FIND THE TRESPASSERS WHO DARE ACCESS THE ANCIENT PORTAL. YOUR FATE IS TIED TO THEM, AND SO YOU SHALL MEET WITH THEM AGAIN. IF YOU DISSAPOINT ME, YOU SHALL SUFFER A FATE WORSE THAN YOU COULD POSSIBLY IMAGINE.**

One of the two seemed to struggle against her mighty will, and his body contorted in agony before he crumbled in defeat. "Yes, your majesty." They said in unison.

And Momochi Zabuza, once known as the hidden monster of the Mist, and Haku, lifted themselves up, their eyes downcast from the queen that ruled them, and they turned and vanished into the dark.

…

…

…

_Thoughts from a certain blonde someone across the room that was chewing on hotdogs: _That boy…he ate so much ramen. A new challenger the hotdog champion!

…

…

A/N: Hey! Thanks for reviewing and enjoying my story! How did you like the twist at the end? My writing should improve over time, so the story should get better. smile

Anyways, to answer some questions, Naruto should be around 14 to 15 and Neji should be around 15 or so, a year older than Naruto.

I hope I finish the story! It's gonna be a doozy, but I have all sorts of things planned.

Nee-san means sister, or lady. It sounded much better than, **hey lady**, to me.

Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, Genjutsu. Those are Ninja techniques, Fighting techniques, and illusion techniques, in that order.


	4. Explanations in a Nutshell

Naruto: Dual Worlds 4 – Explanations in a Nutshell

…

…

I don't own Naruto or FF8. I cry myself to sleep at night because of this.

…

…

Naruto raced back to the infirmary as quickly as his legs allowed. Luckily for him and Quistis, night was approaching and most of the students had retired to their rooms. Just as he almost made it to the entrance to the infirmary room however, the baggy pants he had been wearing slipped over his shoe, and he bowled right face first through the door. Looking at him from a small stool with a mildly bemused expression was a man who looked as if he had gone to one too many birthday parties and eaten one too many slices of cake. His short brown hair was combed to the side and framed his gold-rimmed glassed. He wore a fuzzy wool sweater to cover his portly body.

"On time!" Naruto yelled out loudly. He saw the man staring at him, and his face reddened. "Oh, hehe sorry about the door old man. I'll help fix it later, don't worry!"

Quistis waited outside the room with her arms crossed and tapped her high-heels patiently. "Naruto, you don't expect me to walk over you, do you?" She asked while giving Naruto a glare.

"Huh?" Then he blushed when he realized that Quistis had changed into a knee-length skirt, and that walking over him would expose him to sights forbidden to all men. He scrambled up and out of the way as Quistis stepped through the door.

The old man spoke. His expression was thoughtful as if he had done quite a bit of thinking before Naruto had arrived. His eyes were a warm brown, but had an understanding and age in them that were much older. "So you're the boy who woke up that Kadowaki was telling me about. Uzumaki Naruto was it?"

"Yup, that's me!" Naruto responded. He stood up and thumbed his chest proudly. "Who are you old-man?"

Quistis elbowed him harshly in the side and Naruto doubled over. "Don't call the Headmaster old man." She warned.

"Where did you find him Quistis?" Headmaster Cid Kramer said in familiar tones to the instructor. "I hadn't expected you two to meet before this."

"In the training area, Headmaster. I was having some difficulties with some T-Rexaur, and Naruto here helped me." Quistis said with a curt nod to her superior.

"In the training area? And T-Rexaur?" Cid turned to Naruto. "That place is a bit dangerous for a little kid like you, don't you think. You could lose your life in there if you're not careful."

"Nah. Those dinosaurs don't have nothing on me." Naruto grinned, scratching his head. He felt his ego inflating by the second. It was a nice feeling after all Jiraiya had pounded his ego into the ground every time.

"I wouldn't be surprised if a cadet could defeat a few grats. However, you faced down a T-Rexaur…Quistis, was he junctioned?"

"I'm not sure. It seemed as if he used paramagical ability, but I've never seen it before. I scanned him while he was preoccupied but the magic was rejected. It was as if…something protected him." Quistis recalled the memory. While Naruto was distracted, she had cast a scan spell on him. Normally, a scan revealed to its user the general physiology of its target; vitals, composition; junctioned guardian forces, and acted as a sort of x-ray. But the scan of Naruto had revealed none such information.

"Scan?" Naruto asked perplexedly. He didn't recall anything such thing happening. "What's that mean?"

Quistis seemed a bit embarrassed. She turned to Naruto and offered a slight bow of apology. "Sorry, Naruto. It wasn't exactly noble of me, but curiosity got the better of me. I would have told you earlier, but I've never seen a case quite like you. You forgive me, right?"

"Uh…well it's not like it hurt me or anything." Naruto mumbled, still unsure as to what Quistis was talking about.

Headmaster Cid continued. This time his voice was considerably more excited. "I'm wasn't really sure if the reports were correct, but it seems they were true. To think that there is another world out there…"

Quistis raised an elegant eyebrow in mock disbelief. She considered herself knowledgeable in all facets of life, having been known as a young prodigy. And she had had her fill of other world hoaxes, claims of aliens and conspiracy theories. They were just that – hoaxes. "Another world? Headmaster, you surely don't expect me to believe that - "

Cid raised his hands and Quistis paused. "I know it's hard to believe. But this," He reached into his pocket and fished out two objects. The first was a small, flat, circular stone that fit snuggly in the middle of his palm, the second was the necklace that old-lady Tsunade gave him, "is proof that he is."

Naruto saw the gray stone and remembered where it had come from. The woman had tried to hand it to him before the world had turned dark. He pointed at the stone. "Hey! That's the stone that the girl had on her necklace! And that's my necklace!" Naruto reached for the necklace, which Cid reluctantly handed back. He hung the necklace around his neck again. Relief flooded him that he hadn't lost the priceless jewel. Old lady Tsunade would have killed him. For real.

"Well I don't need this necklace of yours. But this other object…it was the only possession besides the your necklace on you're body when the young boys found you unconscious on the beach. It took them a good while to pry it out of your hands, so they figured it must have been important to you, and sent it here for examination. Do you know what this is, Naruto?" Cid held the stone up and eyed it. It seemed to be any old rock that one could find by digging around the dirt, but was polished into a shiny disc.

"No, but the girl was trying to give it to me…" Naruto said, pacing his words carefully. He remembered that just as the white light had overtaken him, the girl had died in his arms. It wasn't a memory that he enjoyed remembering. "She…died…when someone attacked her."

"You mentioned this girl, what was she like?" Cid asked.

Naruto pursed his lips as he described the girl. It had been a while, and memories of the day were still fuzzy to him, as if he looked through a foggy window. The woman had said something to him also, but he couldn't recall it no matter how hard he concentrated. "She was a young girl…with um…black hair…"

Everyone in the room was silent for a moment, waiting for more detailed description. When none came, Naruto stood still, scratching his head in embarrassment.

"That's it?" Quistis blurt out, breaking the silence. She had expected something…something _more_. Anything more. If it were _her_, she would typed out a five page briefing, along with a presentation and analysis of the situation. "Do you recall what she was wearing at least?"

Now that Quistis mentioned it, the girl was wearing a uniform that was distinctly familiar, Naruto thought. It was a gray jacket lined with red and embroidered with fine details, though most had been ruined by dirt and dust. A uniform much like the one he wore now, but made in different colors. "Ah! She wore something like this!" He said, glancing down at his uniform. "But the colors were a little different. It was more…uh…gray and red."

"Gray and red…" Quistis began. "That means…"

Cid finished for her. "Trabian colors. Which mean that the girl was a Trabian SeeD."

Quistis shook her head. "I still don't understand what this has to do with anything Headmaster - "

"Trabia Garden is leading research on the origin of Guardian forces. Along with inter-dimensional theory and applicable travel. A few weeks ago, they unearthed an unknown artifact, a gateway per se, that expanded their knowledge of dimensional theory considerably. They've been conducting experiments on it ever since, and have even managed to activate it for brief seconds at a time. Though, no one knows where it leads to." Cid muttered all this quietly, but spoke in a loud enough tone that both Quistis and Naruto heard.

"I haven't heard of this yet?" Quistis said with a slightly shocked look. Why hadn't any studies been published or announcements made? But she knew that she shouldn't have been surprised. Of the three gardens, Trabia garden placed the most emphasis on magical theorem and energy manipulation due to their relative disconnect from the outside world. It allowed them to focus their resources on esoteric research into all sorts of magical related fields, and the use of replicating technological advances with magic. And supposedly, all of their students were tech or magic geeks of some kind, thought in Quistis' opinion that was a baseless theory as few people had ever been to Trabia garden. She had, of course, and discovered the people were far from geeks.

"It's all very hush-hush. Only the headmasters and researchers involved know anything much. You'll keep this between us right, Quistis?" Cid added.

"O-of course sir." Quistis stuttered. She was dying to know more, but it was probably classified information.

Naruto, who had been watching the two banter back and forth for a while, finally interrupted. "What does that mean, old-man?" He shut his eyes and reflexively raised his arms in defense of another jab from Quistis, but when one came, he saw that the blonde was in thoughtful contemplation.

Cid turned to Naruto as if he just realized he was in the room. "Ah. Well, this stone you see." Cid held out the stone. "Is one of the keys to the portal, or 'activators' if you will. When the Trabian artifact was excavated, only two of these were found. Supposedly, telling from the structure of the gateway itself, there are five in total. It's quite peculiar how you ended up with one. And since this somehow brought you over, it seems it also has other properties than being just a keystone. Tell me, Naruto. You mentioned someone attacking you. Who was she?"

"Well…she was very tall, and wore this purple gown. Her face had a mask on it." He remembered her voice and shuddered. It brought cold shivers down his back. "When she spoke...it was empty, as if she weren't there."

Cid bit his lip. It was a habit of his whenever something came to mind, but he just couldn't remember. He had lived a long life, and some memories slipped away from him easier now then they did when he was young. But he had a sinking suspicion of who or what this purple-gowned woman was…however, he wasn't too sure.

"Naruto, what is this world you come from called?" Cid asked at last.

**YOU'VE BEEN FOUND OUT BRAT. SO MUCH FOR TRYING TO HIDE THE TRUTH. WHEN I FELT THAT WOMAN SEND CHAKRA AT YOU EARLIER, I SHOULD HAVE LET IT PASS INTO YOU INSTEAD OF GUARDING YOU FROM ITS EFFECTS.**

A sudden voice echoed through Naruto's mind, and he almost spoke out loud before he caught himself.

_Shut up, you damn fox! I was going to tell them about it sooner or later anyways! _Naruto though back. _And I thought you weren't talking. You sure didn't say anything when that dinosaur almost ate me!_

**BOY, I WOULD EAT THOSE CREATURES FOR SNACKS. IF YOU CANNOT HANDLE THAT, YOU MIGHT AS WELL TURN OVER AND DIE LIKE THE PATHETIC CHILD YOU ARE. I HAVE LOW EXPECTATIONS OF MY JAILER, BUT YOU MIGHT HAVE PASSED THE LINE.**

_Gah! Just shut up!_ Naruto thought back as loudly as he could, and was rewarded by the Kyuubi's fading laughs.

Naruto looked up to see Cid and Quistis waiting for his response. He realized he must have looked crazy, his head moving to his own voice. Oh. "Ah…Konoha!"

"You don't seem very surprised Naruto…" Cid asked, his eyes narrowing suspiciously. "Did you know that this was a different world?"

"I thought it might be, but it just…sounded kinda stupid to me. A different world and all that. So I didn't say anything."

Cid wanted to ask more questions. What was Konoha like? How is the world different? But he felt that he wouldn't get much information from the boy, and knew the boy would most likely try to dodge the subject. _Yes_, he decided_, I'll just have Quistis ask him_. "Okay. I've decided. Naruto, you're going to Trabia. In secret. I don't want anyone from Galbadia garden of Trabia garden finding out about this. This is going to be between us." Cid added. "And you're friend. Neji, was it? I'll have Dr. Kadowaki make sure he receives the finest treatment as possible until he awakes. So don't worry about him."

Quistis blinked. "But only SeeD are allowed into Trabian territory." She recalled her first experience in Trabian land with a frown. She had been excited when she found out she was selected to join a two-week study program at Trabia, the leading runner of magical and paramagical research. Trips were few and far between, though Trabian students often transferred to Balamb the opposite was not true. While the students at Trabian garden were exceedingly nice, even _too_ nice, the same couldn't be said for the government or their people. They were a xenophobic country, and safely hidden behind impassable mountains and deep forests. They liked their isolation, and the only thing that kept them from kicking out Trabia Garden was that it represented a military deterrent to Galbadia and any other nation.

"That's why we're going to make Naruto here a SeeD." Cid responded.

Naruto crooked an eyebrow. "SeeD? Why would I want to become a seed?"

"Because it's the only way to get back to your world that I can think of. That is, if you want to. Maybe there is a higher reason that you were ended up here, or maybe it was chaos at work. But if you do wish to return, and unless you have a different way, then you will have to go to Trabia."

While Naruto didn't appreciate the thought of someone forcing something on him, he liked the thought of being stuck in a different world even more. He nodded.

"Impossible." Quistis shook her head skeptically. There were hundreds upon hundreds of candidates that failed even the preliminary tests to be considered a SeeD, one of the military elite. They had to be in the top percentile for years, and have memorized high-level battle tactics and magical theorem. She herself had become a SeeD at a prodigious age of fifteen, but it was not without hard work. "The council and faculty will know though. They are the governing body of the SeeD program." She objected.

"Yes, I know. But there are perks to being a Headmaster, aren't there?" Cid smiled. "I'll call in a few favors and Naruto can take the SeeD examination as soon as tomorrow. In fact, you can be his instructor."

"B-but."

"No buts. This is very important." Cid raised his palm. This was the end of the argument. Quistis looked like a deflated balloon balloon.

"Alright, Headmaster." She relented. There was no use arguing against the headmaster once he set his mind to something. He had been like a father figure to her ever since she entered Garden, and he knew his personality almost as well as her own. "But there is still the aspect of how he will pass. He has no knowledge of magic, and even though he took out a T-Rexaur, I'm not sure of his ability to pass fire cave trial."

"No problem. Who's the most capable student you have that's taking the test tomorrow?" Cid asked.

Quistis thought for a moment. She was a new instructor, and had dozens of students. Most of them were gifted in some way or another, testament to the harsh rigors it took to become SeeD, but there was one in particular… "Squall. Squall Leonheart."

"Ah." Cid said happily and clapped his hands. "Squall. I should have expected it to be him. Very well then, tomorrow Naruto will accompany Squall on the examination. I'm sure you'll watch over those two and keep them out of trouble."

"Won't the examiner object?" Quistis remarked. It sounded like a feasible idea, but there was always a faculty teacher that observed the test to prevent cheating of any kind. The policy had been implemented when Garden had found out that some cadets were hiring SeeD to escort them through the fire cavern and provide support.

"The examiner is my personal friend. I'll make sure he knows who's coming tomorrow." Cid said.

"Then I…have no objections." Quistis said at last. "If that's everything, then I will retire to my quarters for now."

Cid glanced at his wristwatch. "I guess I shall retire to. Naruto, do you have any more questions?"

"Yes - " He began.

"Alright." Cid interjected. "Then Quistis will fill you in tomorrow. What time is the exam tomorrow Quistis?"

"0600 hours. It's the earliest time available." Quistis answered.

Before Naruto could ask another question, Cid stood up and began heading for the door. "Get plenty of rest tonight, you two!" And then, he walked out the door and was gone.

Naruto grumbled. It reminded him a tad too much of the times that Tsunade had ignored some of his more…mindless comments. Though now Naruto really did have questions he wanted to ask. "The headmaster is being awfully sneaky and secretive about questions, don't you think?"

"He's naturally like that. Don't worry, he really is a nice old man inside." Quistis sighed. She was used to the Headmaster's behavior by now, though she knew he had his student's best interests at heart. "Anyways Naruto, I'll teach you everything you need tomorrow during the exam. I have a feeling you'll pick things up easily. I can't say I'm not interested in how you used those techniques earlier today, or how you would respond to junctioning, but you need your rest and I need mine. Especially if I have to watch over you and Squall tomorrow. Questions can be left for tomorrow."

"I…guess so then." Naruto mumbled. "Where am I going to sleep?"

"Hmm." That was a good point, Quistis thought. He couldn't stay in the infirmary forever. "You'll sleep for tonight. I'll contact the housing section to check for available rooms tomorrow."

"Ugh." The bed had been hard and lumpy. It had probably contributed to that horrible dream he had of falling into scalding ramen. But he had slept under worse circumstances when he was training with Jiraiya, and the bed was a large step up from the floor.

"I'll come by early tomorrow morning then. And don't wander around at night; most of the blocks are closed off." Quistis warned. "Good night, Naruto."

And with that, Quistis followed the path she had come through, carefully stepping over the remains of the broken door, and left the room.

Leaving a much confused and still hungry Naruto by himself.

…

…

…

…

Quistis was right. She came by very early in the morning. Early enough, that Naruto was still snoring on the infirmary bed. Loudly. Loud enough that she could hear it as she approached the room. The broken door didn't do much to block the sound. The sheets were tangled around him haphazardly and the pillow had signs of saliva leakage. His rest must have been fun, Quistis decided. She entered the room, carrying a tray with a surprise treat, and approached him. She tapped on in the shoulder. "_Naruto_." She whispered.

Naruto continued snoring, heedless to the world around him.

"Naruto." Quistis said louder this time. "Wake up. We have one hour before we leave."

He raised his head from his pillow, "Guhh…it's too early...let me uhmm...sleep some...more..." he mumbled, then went back to sleep.

"I have breakfast for you Naruto." Quistis cooed over his prone body. Warm scents wafted from her stray, and she slowly said each syllable one by one. "R-a-m-e-n."

Naruto shot up like a bolt. Quistis almost tripped backwards in surprise. She hadn't expected such a fast reaction. His eyes were instantly wide and alert and his nose was sniffing. His senses scanned the room for the smell of the most delicious food in the world. He turned to Quistis, and the tray in her hand that had a bowl of steaming ramen. Target located.

He jumped off the bad and took the plate from her hands with a wide smile. "Thanks _nee-san_! How did you know I liked ramen?" Naruto said as he sat back down on the side of the bed and cracked the wooden chopsticks.

Quistis sweat-dropped. "How could_ anyone_ not know?" He had only eaten more ramen in one sitting than Quistis had in a whole year.

A minute later, when Naruto finished eating, he set the tray aside. "That was delicious." He pat his stomach. He wanted more, but felt it would be rude to ask Quistis for more since she had brought him the ramen to begin with.

Quistis retrieved a bag from her side. "Here." She said, and handed it to him. Naruto accepted it with a "Thanks."

She continued. "That's clothes from one of my students, Zell. It's his old clothes that he used to wear as a cadet a few years ago, but it's still new. It should fit you perfectly. And it's reinforced with strong elemental resistant fibers, which is much more than I can say of what you're wearing." Quistis glanced degradingly at Naruto's flimsy infirmary wear and he pouted with his tongue out, then pulled the blanket over his clothes.

"So Naruto, what weapons do you prefer to use?" She asked him.

Naruto looked up from digging around the contents of the bag. He had fished up a bright yellow shirt and was holding it up for closer inspection. "What do you mean by that?"

"Since I did see you fight yesterday, I'll assume that you are proficient in some sort of weapon. That is, I'm believing the Headmaster's word and _assuming_ you are also from another world." She shook her head in semi-disbelief. "All of the cadets here are trained in multiple weapons, but specialize in one. If you don't want to go to the exam weaponless, I can head to the weapons department and take a weapon for you. I, for instance, use a whip."

Naruto looked down and saw that Quistis had changed whips. Yesterday she had used a thin, brown leather one. Today was a metallic chain whip. It looked like it could do a great deal more damage. He wondered; did she accessorize whips with her outfits? Sakura-chan and Ino-san changed certain small things all the time depending on what they wore or what time of the day it was. The chain whip looked quite fetching with the instructor's light orange ensemble. He shook his head. There were other things to worry about.

"What is the exam anyways? And what's a SeeD? Is it like a kind of ninja or something?" Naruto had wanted to ask the question since last night, but the sudden departure of the Headmaster and Quistis head left him answerless.

Quistis took a moment to think. "I should have explained yesterday, shouldn't I? First, this is Garden. There are three gardens total; Balamb Garden, Galbadia Garden, and Trabia Garden. Garden is a mercenary institution where people are trained at a young age to be mercenaries. We're hired out to countries or organizations or even individuals depending on the mission and the amount of monetary compensation offered."

Naruto blinked, then nodded slowly in understanding. "You mean like a village right? In Konoha we hire out ninja also."

"Ninja." Quistis closed her eyes. She didn't want to accept the fact that there really were _ninja_, but if Naruto was from another world…then that might be possible…she opened her eyes again. "Okay, I'll assume that in your world, there are also ninja. So SeeD would be the equivalent of the ninja who go out to perform the tasks."

"Genin, chuunin, and jounin?" Naruto asked. He explained once he saw Quistis questioning look. "Those are the three types of ninja in the village, and they are assigned to different classes of missions depending on what they are."

"That would…be similar to our SeeD ranking system. The more missions you accomplish, the higher ranking you would be, and the more difficult the mission you would be assigned to. And to become a seed, you must pass a series of exam. Since," Quistis coughed, absently brushing away a golden tress of hair, "Headmaster Cid pulled some strings, you can forego the written exams, but you still have to pass the field exam. It's simple. All you need to do is enter the fire cavern and defeat Ifrit, the guardian force of the fire cave. Since Squall and I will be there, we should be able to handle it ourselves, but just in case something happens, it would be safer if you had a weapon. So, what weapon are you most used to?"

Naruto thought for a moment, then became excited. He deviously rubbed his hands at the prospect of becoming a high ranked SeeD. If being one were the equivalent of a jounin, he would be able to brag about it to old lady Tsunade later and maybe she would promote him from his lowly genin status. "Mmm, I've trained mostly with kunai, or shuriken, do you have any of those?" He asked. All of his equipment including his explosive tags had been destroyed during the strike that had rendered him and Neji unconscious.

"Kunai?" Then Quistis made an 'o' shape with her lips. Like a dagger, but smaller, with a leaf shaped blade and a round hole at the side used to string a rope. Kunai and Shuriken had been weapons used in ancient Esthar, but it was the rare SeeD these days that used those weapons. But they probably had some in stock. "I can check for you. Also, since your abilities are so…strange…if anyone asks, just tell them that you are a blue user."

"Blue user?"

"Someone who specializes in blue-magic. Such as me. Blue-magic is uncommon magic usable only by monsters and certain humans born with an innate ability to do so. It has all sorts of weird abilities so most people have leeway for blues. Since we don't know where your abilities stem from yet, we'll use that excuse. I'll explain to you the fundamentals of magic as we take the exam."

Naruto sat there for a moment as an awkward silence grew between the two. "I need to change." He said at last.

"I'll meet you in the lobby then. Remember where the main floor?" Naruto nodded. "I'll be waiting in the front with Squall. If you can't find it, just circle around the bottom until you see us, or we see you."

Quistis turned to leave the room but stopped. "There's a shower too, just down this hall. You might want to shower if you feel you need too, but you're going need to shower again after the exam." She added, before turning out.

"Huh?" Was all Naruto said. He wondered what she meant by that…

…

…

…

Fifteen minutes later.

Naruto paced down the corridor. He had changed into the clothes that Quistis had given him, and surprisingly enough, it fit well. However, who had used it had even less of a style sense than Naruto, and it was a horrible gaudy combination of blue and yellow. It was early enough that there weren't any students in the classrooms, especially since he was in the infirmary wing, but there was the rare morning class that used the spare rooms of the west wing. He could hear the instructors as they barked out explanations that passed straight over his head. Cadets passed him sometimes and they all wore the same uniform; the men and women wore matching black pants and boots with silver and gold lining, while the occasional girl wore a skirt. He continued down the multiple paths that led towards the main hall, and when he finally arrived.

It seemed even larger than yesterday, and in his clearer state of mind, Naruto noticed details that he hadn't the day before. The central platform of the main hall was empty this morning, and there were several walkways above and around. Four entrances; the North, East, South, and West wing led to different areas, though Naruto still didn't know where. There were elevators that connected into the center transport, the giant monolith that he had noticed yesterday. Around the sides was a small fountain with intricately carved statues shooting water. Naruto giggled aloud when he saw one was of a little boy peeing into the fountain; it reminded him of what he used to do a few years ago – and still did sometimes.

It was beautiful, though Naruto didn't see the need for it since he thought that its purpose was a school.

He walked around the middle, until he spotted Quistis along with another boy, slightly taller than him. The boy had soft, wavy brown hair that was pulled back and stormy eyes. The most noticable feature that drew Naruto's eyes however, was a jagged scar that began from the top of his eyebrow and ran diagonally down his face. He wore a ribbed white shirt under a half-length leather jacket. He also wore thick, leather pants and worn leather boots. Strapped to his back was a four-foot blade. Or at least it looked like a blade. There was a trigger and a handle, the uses Naruto could only guess at.

_What a leather freak,_ was Naruto's first thought.

As he approached them, Quistis spotted him and waved. Naruto waved back, though he was a bit perturbed when the leather boy merely stared at him with unmoving eyes.

"Naruto! I thought you would be late to." Quistis said in a half-joke tone. "You exceeded my expectations."

"Nice to know I exceed your expectations by showing up on time." Naruto grumbled, not realizing that _nee-san_ had such low expectations of him.

Quistis laughed. "Let me introduce you to Squall. Squall this is Naruto, he's the one that I told you would be joining us for the field exam today."

"My name is Uzumaki Naruto!" Naruto held out his hand and looked up at the man who was a good half-foot taller than him. After fifteen seconds, a vein on his forehead began throbbing painfully. "It's polite to shake hands with another, ya know." Naruto mumbled under his breath as he retracted his hand. This man's demeanor reminded him uncomfortable of someone else, someone who's memories stirred strong feelings; Sasuke.

Quistis waited for a few more seconds, then at the same time as Squall, said "…Whatever." Squall gave Quistis a glare while she returned it with a soft laugh. She knew her student very well.

"Don't worry Naruto, Squall's just like this. He doesn't like speaking that much." Quistis explained to Naruto.

Squall turned to her, opened his mouth to speak, then thought better of it, and closed his mouth again, then opened it again. "As long as you don't pull down the team," He began, "You're presence will be tolerated. I'm not here to baby-sit little kids." He said at last.

Naruto was two inches away from exploding in his face.

"Oh," Quistis said, in an attempt to defuse the tension. She reached behind her and retracted a belt. On it were two kunai and a dozen shuriken, "I asked the weapons department and this was all they had. They'll forge some more once they take in all the requests for other weapons."

Naruto took the belt from her hand, and wrapped it around his waste. "It's perfect." He said.

His eyes still glared hotly at Squall.

"Good. I hope you two will get along with each other during the exam." Quistis hoped to herself, more for her own sanity then anything else. "Alright cadets! We're heading out immediately!"

Squall shrug his shoulders, and without another word began walking out of the main entrance.

Incensed, Naruto chased after him.

Quistis face-palmed as she shook her head, watching the two walk away. What had she just gotten herself into?

…

…

…

Current Statistics:

Uzumaki Naruto Level 16. Konoha Surprise Ninja

Hp: 328

Mp: 422

Strength: 46

Speed: 40

Vitality: 62

Luck: 70

Magic: 33

Spirit: 3 + 30 (level dependant from Kyuubi – passive ability)

Weapons: 2xkunai 12xshuriken

Junctioned GF #CLASSIFIED#

Special Abilities:

Regeneration – Increased natural healing ability (passive - Kyuubi dependant)

Kyuubi Chakra – Abilities can increase up to 100 percent - Increased mana and regeneration (Usable only under certain circumstances)

…

Quistis Trepe Level 19. Blue Expert

Hp: 250

Mp: 321

Strength: 36

Speed: 34

Vitality: 32

Luck: 28

Magic: 67

Spirit: 31

Weapons: Whip – Chain Whip

Junctioned GF #CLASSIFIED#

…

Squall Leonheart Lvl.17 Gunblade Specialist

Hp: 285

Mp: 162

Strength: 45

Speed: 49

Vitality: 48

Luck: 32

Magic: 44

Spirit: 28

Weapons: Gunblade – Revolver

Junctioned GF #CLASSIFIED#

…

…

… 


	5. Trial

Naruto: Dual Worlds : Trial

…

…

I Don't Own Naruto or FF8. WHY GOD WHY!?

…

…

Quistis was in hell.

The sun was nice, birds were out, hell, there were even a few SeeD cadets romping around the trees with little butterflies.

It was early enough that even the ever-present faculty, the heavy red-robed instructors with large, yellow brim hats were still relatively rare. They annoyed her with their superfluous and flimsy comments, always asking what she was doing and being suspicious of her for no apparent reason. They manned most of Balamb Garden's committees, and worked for the Central Garden committee, an outside force hired by the owner of all three Garden's, though the Headmaster co-owned and had ultimate jurisdiction over their respective Garden's. Rules were paramount to them, and even the tiniest infraction before them would mean hours of paperwork. She had caught one spying on Headmaster Cid once, and had almost yelled him out, but realized it was probably common practice and doing it would make her the object of even deeper scrutiny.

That they weren't here should have set her day off on an exceptionally high note.

But looking ahead of her to a blond boy and slightly taller brunette, she could only turn her eyes away from the sullen and depressing air that wafted from them, darkening the mood of everyone in a fifty food radius.

It was as if she had stayed in a room when two people she knew were arguing, and didn't know which side to pick. She had hoped Squall would be slightly more quiet than usual today, because of the newly formed jagged scar that marred his face.

The memory of how the incident had happened had Quistis choking back a snort.

The previous morning, Seifer, Squall's rival and self-proclaimed disciplinary committee leader him to a duel under a pretense that it was friendly practice between the only two Gunblade specialists in the outskirts of garden. And Squall had accepted, because that was the type of person he was. Quistis honestly had thought that Squall would never engage in a mock duel with Seifer without supervision, for everyone at Garden knew Seifer's dirty little habits.

Seifer was a hotheaded personality. He broke rules he didn't like and created rules he wanted there to be. He even created a mock disciplinary committee with his two friends, Fuujin and Raijin, to punish transgressors himself. He yelled at instructors, faculty, SeeD and cadet, the headmaster, and even herself. Quistis caught him one time trying to enter the woman's dorm rooms, and she had almost killed him on the spot. But punishment had always been conspicuously lenient. Conspiracy theories were abound that the headmaster Cid favored Seifer for some reason or another, and Quistis felt there was some truth to that, though she couldn't prove it.

On the other hand, Squall was quiet. Questions to him were usually answered with single sentence definitions. He followed rules and guidelines, and though he was silent usually, he held the top grades in almost every single class, the previous owner of such an honored title being she herself. A prodigy if she had ever seen one, though he chose not to brag about his accomplishments. He was neat, orderly, and always impeccably on time. Reclusive, but after the humbling experience of being his instructor, she knew that there was something under that icy personality that lay dormant.

Though the two were like fire and ice, they were also the only two Gunblade specialists at Balamb. Most SeeD lacked the natural skill and expertise required to handle the weapons, and the only other Gunblade specialist belonged to Galbadia Garden.

She could only imagine the type of man-ego that had erupted within the two to push a duel so far that both would scar each other in identical areas – a scar that ran diagonally from their eyebrows to their cheek. It was as if they were born to measure themselves against each other. They had even both fallen unconscious after the duel. Squall had awaken first, but he hadn't junctioned a guardian force to himself yet, and his ability to cast raw magic was still undeveloped and limited to a few first-degree magic spells such as Fire or Ice. Dr. Kadowaki had been horrified when a bloodied Squall dragged a unconscious and even bloodier Seifer into the infirmary with him before collapsing.

Of course, Seifer had junctioned a guardian force to himself beforehand, a violation of the unwritten code of dueling. He had been punished afterwards with a severe marking down of his Cadet grade but his grade had been high enough that it still met the passing benchmark.

This morning, Squall had been waiting just inside the main Garden entrance at the lower level, the designated meeting spot. At 0500 hours, an hour earlier than Quistis had told him.

He had been unexpected.

She herself was tired from the lack of sleep, evident from the darkening circles under her eyes, but Squall looked as moody as ever. It seemed he hadn't received the news well.

After the meeting with headmaster Cid and Naruto last night, Quistis had to adjust the time schedule on Squall's exam. Originally they were supposed to meet at 1800 hours, a decent evening time so that he would be prepared. However, she had to knock on his dorm room and wake him up in the middle of slumber. He hadn't shown any emotion, but Quistis sensed he was displeased.

And he took the news that Naruto would be accompanying them with even less joy. The gunblader had responded with the usual answer he gave everyone.

"…Whatever."

And then he had promptly closed the door in her face.

She had chosen wisely not to inform him that Naruto was a ninja from a different dimension.

…

…

For his part, Squall was doing surprisingly well. It wasn't that he didn't mind taking the exam earlier in the morning, or even that she had woken him up in the middle of the night; it was that his instructor had suddenly decided to bring a little blond boy along.

_For what?_ He thought. _Shits and giggles?_

After progressing through the SeeD cadet program for the majority of his life, the choice of whether or not he would become a SeeD rested in the field examination. When he saw the little blonde boy with the garish blue and yellow outfit, Squall knew that there were going to be complications.

He hadn't voiced them.

He usually never voiced something unless the situation merited it, but they were there. Who was the boy? How come he had never seen him before at Garden? What was the purpose for him coming along on the exam? Could he fight? Would he need to protect him?

He felt his hand grip the polished handle of his gunblade. Quistis had given him kunai and shuriken, weapons that were considered defunct by today's standards. Weapons that were supposedly used in ancient Esthar but were rarely used, except for the occasional third-rate SeeD.

Did the boy think he was a _ninja_?

There were so many questions to ask, but Squall had given a singular glare at the smiling ninja before dropping each and every one of them.

…

…

…

Naruto frowned, and his frown only dipped further down the farther they were from Garden.

After he had chased Squall out of the main building, they had walked down the concrete curved path that led from Balamb Garden to the outside, and the three of them had stalled at the security gates. The attendant there, an infuriatingly snide male cadet that was working part-time, had refused to Naruto pass without identification. Normally, he would only need to slide his pass card through the mini-sensor, but Naruto had left the card he had yesterday back in the infirmary for Dr. Kadowaki, and he hadn't been issued a formal card yet. Naruto had traded insults back and forth with the man that had ranged from the size of the man's nether regions and Naruto's brain capacity.

The situation had been close to erupting into a full out fight until Quistis stepped in.

Quistis, it seemed, had her own fan club.

They were called the Trepies – a self-labeled group joined together in unity by their praise for the whip-wielding and ethereal Instructor. And the man at the gate had been one of them. Quistis had approached him with a quickly fabricated explanation to why he didn't have his card.

Naruto snickered. The man had almost fainted on the spot.

They then followed Quistis as she led them through a sprawling green field and a little copse of trees. The land was roiling grassy fields and patches of flowers, and for a brief period, it reminded Naruto of Konoha and the Fire country. The sun was out and the healthy grass reflected the rays of sunlight. But the smell was different. Naruto had a keen olfactory sense, and there wasn't something…different with the air. A little more wild, if he could place it into words.

And it was after twenty minutes, just as they exited the trees, that Naruto remembered that the leather-clad man, Squall, had not said a single word to him.

He had a major attitude problem, Naruto thought with vehemence, and it angered him that someone, that _anyone_, would completely ignore him.

There was a slight pain in his heart.

The last one to do so was Sasuke.

Quistis fell back, letting Squall lead the way, then approached him behind and laid a hand on his shoulder. "Squall's not really like that Naruto. He's just someone who is naturally quiet."

"What?" Naruto said surprised. Was he really that easy to read? "How did you know?"

Quistis gave a little laugh. "It's not like it's hard to tell. With the two of you angry of each other." Quistis looked up for a minute pondering something, then changed her statement. "I take that back. With _you_ angry at him, I keep thinking something wrong is going to happen."

"Me?! He's not talking or anything though…and he ignored my handshake." Naruto stated matter-of-fact. "If he wasn't so rude, then I wouldn't be mad.

"Believe me, it could be worse. It took me a good few months as his instructor before he actually answered back my class questions with more than a single word. He just prefers being silent, if you can imagine why, though he probably has his reasons." A wistful look passed over Quistis's face. "He doesn't really _not_ like you. And I had to break him the news that you were coming along with us, so relax a little."

"Well," Naruto mumbled, "I guess so." Perhaps the man was like Shino. The quiet type that preferred not to say anything. He didn't like Shino that much either, but he still considered the bug-user his friend. Maybe Squall was like that too?

"Since were almost there, let me explain to you what Ifrit is." Quistis took on a remarkably lighter tone.

That caught Naruto's attention. He had wanted to know what Ifrit was too. Quistis had referred to it as a Guardian force, but he didn't know what that was either. This world was confusing to him, a strange combination of exciting new scents and experiences.

"Ifrit is a guardian force." Quistis began. "There are hundreds of recorded guardian forces in the world, and Ifrit is a fire-based spirit. Balamb specializes in the use of Guardian forces to enhance their SeeD, as opposed to Galbadia Garden, which is a more militaristic, and Trabia Garden, where focus is placed on magical abilities. If someone is able to defeat one, they can temporarily store the spirit and even call upon that Guardian force in battle. However, doing so requires a major sacrifice of magical energy, so most SeeD don't use it unless as a last resort. The main uses of Guardian forces are the abilities they provide when junctioned. They enhance natural abilities and allow the user to manipulate energy into what is known as 'magic.'"

"Though thanks to Trabia, with training SeeD can utilize magical energy without the need for junctioning, but most only have the ability to use basic spells. Guardian forces help control and release the latent energies that are stored into the body, and thus higher level magic becomes possible without the long training and necessary magical and spiritual resistance. I would have requested a Guardian force for you, but seeing as to how you're from a different world, it might be dangerous. So, you don't get a Guardian force."

Quistis saw Naruto's downcast face and chuckled. "Yet, Naruto. I'll see how you are in combat, and then I'll decide. Guardian forces are dangerous, and they'll consume you if you're too weak." She said. He brightened up like a light bulb.

Naruto mulled over the information. He didn't know what 'junctioning' was, but the summoning part was familiar to him.

"Like a summoning technique?" Naruto asked at last.

"Is that what they call it in your world?" Quistis remarked.

"If you make the right hand seals, you can summon creatures to help you." Naruto said. He knew many ninja called upon creatures to help them. Kakashi had nin-dogs, Tsunade used slugs, Jiraiya summoned frogs, and had taught him how too also, and Orochimaru could summon snakes.

"Oh?" Quistis smiled, her interest piqued. "Why don't you show me then."

Naruto moaned inwardly at the thought. He would, but the highest-level frog he could summon was Gamakichi with the occasional average sized frog here and there. The odds were fifty-fifty that he could summon a normal battle frog, but he wouldn't be able to handle the embarrassment in front of _nee-san _if she laughed at him.

He shook his head.

"Well you see…uh…I…" He stuttered. "I…can't do it right now."

She raised an elegant eyebrow. "Why is that?"

"Um…I know! For some reason, nothing shows up…I think?" Naruto replied.

Quistis realized then that Naruto was worse at lying than even her worst student. But if he didn't want to, it wasn't in her right to make him, she decided.

"Alright, Naruto. I hope you aren't lying to me. I don't like liars. At all."

Naruto forced a grin as a bead of sweat streaked down his cheek.

"We're here." Squalls voice trailed from ahead of him.

Naruto almost ran into Squall from behind but a quick reflex save him from tumbling into the gunblader. He looked up, back, and around him. They had traveled further then he had realized.

The landscape had changed dramatically. Where there had once been rolling, green fields were faded rocks and crashing blue sea. It was the eastern cliffs of Balamb Island, and well known as the most inhospitable place to live. Boulders worn down by millennia of tides littered the floor. The air was misty and smelled of salt and ocean. Ahead of them were high cliffs that reached up with stalactite claws. Between two noticeably larger ones was a tiny cave entrance flanked by a SeeD and a Faculty member. Naruto could smell a faint trace of sulfur as he approached.

It was the door to Ifrit's lair.

Quistis and Squall approached the faculty member who had been eyeing the group apprehensively.

"Cadet no.41269 Squall Leonheart here to take the exam." Squall saluted the faculty member.

"Instructor Quistis Trepe no.14." Quistis said. The faculty member straightened nervously. The SeeD didn't move at all, and his face was blank. His duty was to protect the faculty, nothing more.

"You're the special group that Cid told me about." The faculty member said, his voice shaky. He didn't sound comfortable at all. He pointed to Naruto, who had walked up besides the two. "That's him?"

Quistis nodded.

"Uzumaki Naruto!" Naruto said proudly.

"Cadet no.41269 Squall Leonheart and Cadet no.46698 Uzumaki Naruto. You have been verified to take the field exam. Who will be the SeeD escort?" The faculty spoke at last.

"I will. Instructor Quistis Trepe No.14." Quistis replied. The faculty member seemed on edge, as if someone were watching him. It was possibly the only time she had ever seen a faculty member react like this. Cid must have pulled some strings, she thought with admiration.

"Cadets. Choose a time limit between ten and forty minutes."

Squall thought for a moment. The time limit was also a test to determine the judgment capability of the cadet. It was used to determine the bravery and perceived ability in contrast to the carefulness and prudence of the cadet. If it was too low, the time limit might run out and fail, but the lower it was, the higher the possible score.

_It is best_, he thought, _to choose a low enough time but still allow for some cushion in case something happens_. _Especially_, Squall gave a quick glance at Naruto, _since there is an unexpected variable. _

"Fiftee - "

"Ten minutes!" Naruto yelled out, then shivered as the air between him and Squall unexpectedly chilled. He looked up expecting a deathly glare, but saw that Squall was looking at him impassively.

"Understood. Once past this entrance the timer will begin. You have fifteen minutes to complete the exam by defeating Ifrit. You are ready?"

"I am." Squall replied. Naruto nodded vigorously. Quistis sighed.

…

…

…

It was hot. Entering the cave was a challenge in itself. The temperature hovered over one hundred degrees and the air reeked of sulfur and brimstone.

Sweat started pouring down the group's clothes the instant they stepped into the cave.

"Wow…" Naruto said as he wiped the leaking sweat from his brow. "It's…really…hot in here."

He felt like he was melting. The heat was overwhelming. The worst Konoha summers, Naruto realized, was nothing compared to this humidity. Clothes molded itself to his skin and he saw the air shimmer as heat distorted it. Looking to his side, he found satisfaction in seeing that Squall fared just as poorly as he did. The poor man must have been dying in his leather pants, and his white ribbed shirt, now transparent, clung to his lithe body. But there was determination in his eyes, and though he was sweating, he didn't let it affect him.

Naruto straightened. If _Squall _could do it, he could too.

Looking behind him, he was surprised when Quistis followed the two with barely a sweat of drop on her face. In fact, she looked surprisingly refreshed. The heat didn't faze her at all it seemed, and her hair hadn't wilted either.

"How come…you're not sweating?" Naruto gasped out .

Quistis smiled. It was funny seeing the usually hyperactive ninja in such a tired state. "I junctioned most of magic into fire-resistance before I entered today."

Naruto grumbled. "Ugh…I want to junction too."

"I doubt it would do you any good." Quistis pointed her finger into the air and waved it around. "This is ambient heat. Unlike normal magical attacks, you need high magical and spiritual power to withstand this type of heat. Squall's magic ability is still too weak to withstand this temperature. But I, however, am not."

"That's…just great." Naruto panted. He felt a slight hint of jealousy towards _nee-san_.

"Don't worry. If I see you or Squall about to faint, I'll just zap you with a little blizzard, alright?" Quistis half-joked. Squall and Naruto gave her a half-look before ignoring her. She grimaced. These two had less of an inclination for humor than she had guessed.

They continued down the narrow path for another half minute, until the cave begun widening, leading to the nest where Ifrit dwelled. The spiraling rock pathway led to a thin rock bridge that hovered precariously above a sea of molten red magma. At the end of the bridge was also the center of the cavern, a titanic circular cavern and a pool of molten rock was at its center. The cavern was strange. It was as if the guardian force himself had used his hands to shape the cavern over the years. Naruto gulped as he watched magma bubbles pop on the surface. If he fell down there, it would be end-game for him.

"Something's wrong." Quistis noted.

"What is?" Squall asked. He too, had noticed something strange happening.

"There aren't any monsters. By now, we should have faced several bombs or giant bats…" Quistis whispered. She had been on this exam dozens of times, and the bombs were born from the heat itself. There should have encountered at least a few by now. Something didn't add up.

"That's a good thing isn't it?" Naruto said. "If there's no monsters, that just means we're lucky."

Squall coughed. He was about to comment on the nature of luck, but then a tremor began to shake the cavern.

"Run for the center!" Quistis screamed out.

Everyone reacted instantly, and began running towards the platform. Behind them, the bridge began to shake violently. A portion of it fell down into the raging magma below them, instantly disappearing in its red depths. In the space of a few more breaths the entire bridge shook, then collapsed.

As they reached the platform, a pulse was _felt_ in the cavern. It was the beating of blood. They were in the heart of Ifrit's domain.

"The…bridge collapsed." Quistis said, shocked. That had never happened before. Something was wrong. "That shouldn't have happened."

A deep sound echoed in the cavern and the air trembled.

**WHO DARES BRING SUCH DARK MALEVOLENCE INTO MY DOMAIN! **

It was the voice of Ifrit.

"I do." Squall answered. He wondered, just what did Ifrit mean by dark malevolence. He gripped the handle of his blade and brought the gunblade to his side.

"This is Ifrit, huh?" Naruto said. This presence was similar…to the Kyuubi. He felt it as Ifrit spoke, an unnatural presence that resonated in his body. But it was weaker. Much weaker than the nine-tailed fox.

**THEN PERISH UNDER MY WRATH! **

The pool in the center of the cave bubbled. Then, a lance of magma shot into the air. Naruto, who was closest to the pool leapt backwards as drops of burning liquid splashed upwards. A giant claw reached up from the pool, then another. Ifrit leapt into the air.

Naruto's eyes widened. The Guardian force was larger than he had expected.

Ifrit was a humanoid, if he could be called that. His skin was a deep flame red, and his chest was wider than a series of barrel. His body was huge, as if he could barely contain the rage within him and he stood twice as high as Squall. His muscled arms were like tree trunks, and ended in cruel obsidian claws. Hoofed feet scratched the air. His face was savage, a primal being of flame twisted into shape. Sharpened horns mounted his head, and his eyes were of an alien intelligence. He breathed fire.

No. He _was_ fire.

"Naruto." Quistis said as she pulled the boy back by the cuff. Her eyes were fixed on the Guardian force above her. "Stay out of this. I've never seen Ifrit like this before. He'll kill you if you're not careful."

Ifrit was a powerful but noble being. He didn't kill SeeD for fun, and he lowered his strength if he felt the SeeD were about to fail. The calibration of his strength to the SeeD was what made Ifrit a perfect field exam target. The guardian force appreciated battle, and if the SeeD lost, they're lives were usually spared. But there was no scaling of strength now. This was Ifrit's highest form, which drew strength from the magma itself. Quistis absently uncoiled her whip and let its length fall to the floor besides her.

No. There was nothing but killing intent in Ifrit's gaze.

There would be no mercy today.

Quistis turned her eyes to Naruto, who was staring at the guardian force with steeled eyes. Was it because of _him_?

Ifrit wasted no time. He rushed for his nearest target. Squall.

Squall leapt backwards just as Ifrit crashed near him. A flurry of heat pulsed through him at the proximity to the Guardian force. Ifrit viciously swiped at Squall with rendering claws. Squall sidestepped at the last moment then slashed out. Ifrit roared as Squall's blade cut a jagged line across it chest. Unexpectedly, a roar of flame erupted from where the wound had been, and Squall covered his eyes temporarily.

**IMPUDENCE! SUCH CRUEL POWER! IT CANNOT BE YOU! **

Ifrit lashed out at a momentarily blinded Squall, catching him in unguarded in the chest. The blow sent Squall reeling backwards. He caught himself in the air, then stepped towards Ifrit again, leading with his sword. Ifrit raised his hand and released a fireball. Squall ducked, and felt the searing heat as the fire blazed just inches over his face.

Then Ifrit waved his hand, and released a dozen fireballs. Squall jumped backwards and yelled out, **"Barrier!"** A shimmering green shield appeared in front of him. The fireballs dissipated into the air as they neared him. When it ended, the transparent shield went down and Squall rushed forwards. Ifrit lunged outwards with his hand. Squall went low, and the hand grazed his cheek, leaving a bloody mark. He stabbed up, and his blade sliced through Ifrit's shoulder.

Ifrit looked down, and released another salvo of flaming fireballs point blank at Squall. Squall jumped back as fire burst around him, but one caught him in the chest, sending him careening before the edge of the platform. Ifrit didn't miss a beat. He stepped forwards as Squall was distracted and slashed upwards. The cadet barely avoided being eviscerated. Ifrit's other hand came out in a fist, and he punched Squall in the chest. Squall skid backwards from the force.

He fell to one knee in pain. Three bloody gashes streaked across his now red shirt. He placed his hand on his chest and summoned his highest healing magic. "**Cura**." Skin and flesh began to mend around his wound. The wounds were deep, and would take a minute or so before fully healing.

Ifrit roared into the air, leaving heat in his wake.

His molten gaze turned to Quistis and Naruto.

**PERHAPS IT IS YOU? FOOLISH MORTALS. I SHALL END BOTH YOUR LIVES NOW!**

Ifrit raised his arms together above his head. Fire flashed into existence. It formed between his palms into a searing orb.

Quistis watched the Guardian force gather the magic. Fira? Firaga? No…She gasped. It was Hell Fire, the most powerful magic at the Guardian force's disposal. And this was Ifrit at one hundred percent.

"Naruto. Move back." Quistis said as she rerolled her whip back into her belt. "I'm going to counter the magic."

"I can help too!"

Quistis was about to tell him that there was no way he could, but the look in Naruto's eyes told her he wouldn't listen. She sighed. Naruto was obnoxious as ever. "Fine. Naruto, I need you to support me. In case something happens."

Naruto nodded. "Got it."

Quistis looked back to the task at hand now that Naruto was quiet again. He was focused on Ifrit. She raised one hand. Azure motes of light began sparkling around her, leaving traces of arcane energy. Her body glowed with energy and chakra as bidden power surged through her.

This wasn't ice magic. Ice magic would have worked, but Blizzaga would be less effective in this hot cavern, and with her current magical ability, would not be able to wholly block Ifrit's Hellfire. She needed something far stronger than that. The motes melded together onto Quistis's skin as the air around her began to expand, pushing outwards with an unseen force. Her eyes sparked as she poured vast amounts of magical energy into her aura as she could.

She needed blue magic.

A giant orb of heat raged above Ifrit, it's power barely contained. It was the size of a tiny house, and it screamed with energy. Streaks of fire escaped from its core and danced on the surface like solar spots of a sun. Once it hit the platform, the whole ground which Quistis and Naruto was on would shatter. And they would all fall into the magma below.

He lowered his arms. And the orb flew out.

She had gathered enough energy. Quistis let out a scream and with her free hand ripped off her glasses. Her blue eyes now blazed with light, and she lashed out with the deadliest blue in her arsenal.

A roaring sapphire laser erupted from her vision and struck the orb. For a brief moment, the energies of the orb and laser wrestled against each other, then the orbs exterior bent inwards, and the blue light pierced through the Hellfire and dissipating just past its diameter. She looked down the orb, and the laser followed. She looked up and the laser cut through the fiery energy like a hot knife in butter.

The orb was severed in half. With her other hand, Quistis released the second blue spell she had gathered. The tremendous energies left her and materialized into a giant psychic wave that boomed in the center of the orb. She imagined two hands tearing the orb in half, and throwing it to the side.

She compelled space to distort with her will.

And it did.

With a defiant scream, the orb split in two halves. Each destructive piece flew outwards, slamming into the cavern walls in a giant, fiery explosion. The cavern shook, and ancient stalactites dropped onto the platform below.

Quistis fell to the ground, exhausted. The use of two simultaneous blue energies had drained her, and she would need a few minutes to recover. It was okay, she reasoned. Ifrit would need to recover after such a use of energies too. But she was wrong in more than one sense. Without using it in conjunction with a limit break, the dangerous blue energies soaked up much of the user's strength. More than she had expected.

Her eyes glazed over.

Quistis fainted. And it was the worse time to do so.

Because Ifrit came roaring straight for her…

…

…

Naruto was shocked in imagine. The huge orb had been split in two by a beaming white light. The incredible energies within as it neared heated his skin. The following explosion sent him off his knees and into the dirt. He looked up to see that Ifrit rushed towards Quistis. And Quistis was unable to do anything.

A split-second before Ifrit reached the disabled Instructor - Naruto's foot met with it's face. Ifrit swerved across and crashed into the ground with a loud thud.

"If you want _nee-san_." Naruto thumbed his chest. "You're going to have to get past _me_."

**THIS POWER. I SENSE IT IS FROM YOU. YOUNG BOY, WHERE DID ACQUIRE SUCH A POWER. A POWER THAT TRUMPS ODIN.**

_He must mean the kyuubi…_Naruto thought. Could this Guardian force sense it within him?

**SUCH A DANGEROUS POWER SHOULD NOT BE RELEASED IN THE WORLD! **

"It's not released! I'm controlling it!" Naruto yelled back. "What do you know about the kyuubi?"

**FOOL. SUCH POWER CANNOT BE CONTROLLED. IT HUNGERS. IT WILL CONSUME YOU IN TIME, AND WHEN THAT TIME COMES, IT WILL UNLEASH UNTO THIS WORLD A TERRIBLE FATE.**

"You're wrong. I won't let the kyuubi control me." Naruto responded. He had trained for two years so that the demon fox wouldn't take his body. There was no way he would let the demon within him take over. "Fate is something I will decide with my own hands."

**HAHA, SUCH IS THE OPTIMISM OF YOUTH. VERY WELL, IF YOU CAN DEFEAT ME, I SHALL SPARE YOUR LIVES!**

Naruto stepped back and slapped his hands together into a series of seals. "**Kagebushin no jutsu!**" Several Naruto's exploded into existence. One of them hooked the unconscious Quistis over her arm and lugged her away to safety. The rest gathered and began forming seals. The shadow clones chest puffed up as chakra converted into flame in their body. They leaned back, then breathed out. Fireballs shot from their chest.

**"Goukyaku no justsu! Great Fireball Technique**"

Ifrit stepped back and laughed. A fire-element attack against him? Surely the boy wasn't that foolish. A fireball formed in his lungs and Ifrit blew out. The stronger fireball smashed through the smaller ones, absorbing them and growing larger before turning back towards their owner. The fireball stuck and the kagebunshin blew up in smoke, but the real Naruto had dissapeared

_Where did he go?_ The guardian force thoughts echoed in the cavern. His eye's widened. He turned, and saw Naruto approaching him from behind. A tearing ball of swirling blue chakra formed in his hands.

**IS THAT IT? YOU ARE TOO DIRECT BOY! **

Ifrit belched, and flame enveloped Naruto. Naruto stumbled forwards, his rasengan dispelled, and his clothes sizzled with smoke. Ifrit grabbed Naruto by the throat.

**I SHALL BURN YOU TO ASH HERE! **

Ifrit gathered energy into hands, and Naruto's throat began to smoke. Naruto tried to pry the guardian's fingers away, but the grip was like iron bars.

_Am…I going to die here?_ He thought. His vision began to fade.

Then, from above Ifrit, Squall landed down on the Guardian force's shoulders. He plunged his gunblade into its shoulder with a titanic force, and _pulled _with all his might. Ifrit's arm gave way and severed. It dropped to the floor along with Naruto. He fell to the floor unconscious.

Before Ifrit could counter, Squall flipped through the air in a perfect tumble and landed in front of the fire-spirit.

There was no time to hesitate.

"Naruto! Fall down!" Squall ordered. Naruto, not knowing what was going to happen, fell to floor at Squall's orders.

Squall reached out and concentrated within him. To the spirit that was junctioned to his heart. With his finger, he traced an arcane sigil into the air, then leapt back…and vanished.

A giant block of ice burst into existence in front of Ifrit, like a rose from the soil. Inside the cube was a resting woman, her arms crossed in deep slumber. Deep blue markins covered her body like arcane tatoos. Her sea blue hair was pulled back tightly in several strands, ending in round, metal loops. The air began to shiver. Ifrit stepped back cautiously. Then the ice burst into tiny shards, and the naked woman within, her delicate features tinged blue, opened her eyes.

Shiva emerged.

She waved her hand. Instantly, the air frost over. The platform iced, and an artic wind breezed through the now cold cavern. The upper layer of magma below slowed, as warmth was pulled from it. A giant glacial spike shot from below and swallowed the unexpecting Ifrit.

Within its translucent depths, Ifrit struggled futily against the magic of the Ice Queen.

**SHIVA!? YOU SIDE WITH THE MORTALS? **

Shiva's response was much cooler. Instead of the deafening roar of Ifrit, it was a winter stream.

**I side with no one but my master, Ifrit. After all these years, you still haven't changed, have you? I cannot say that I am slightly...dissapointed. Perhaps defeat will humble you. **

And she snapped her fingers.

Ice imploded. Ifrit roared as the ice – counter to his nature – burst through him, shredding his skin and slicing him with thousands of sub-zero shards. Shiva disappeared as the summon was spent, but Ifrit still stood, though now injured. He bled from several wounds, now red blood instead of flames.

Squall materialized back into the dimension. He grimaced. Ifrit was severely injured, but alive. His magic was still too weak, it seemed. That summoning should have ruined the fire-elemental, and it would have if Quistis were the one who summoned her, but it didn't. He felt a tightening in his chest. His body was almost at its limit. The combination of injuries and magic use strained his abilities. His magical endurance wasn't high enough to continue much longer.

Naruto pushed himself up. The wounds on his neck had sizzled away, and his skin had restored itself. He had witnessed the power of Shiva that Squall had summoned. There was no way he was going to lose to Ifrit. He would secure the kyuubi with his own strength.

"I'll finish this."

Squall glanced at Naruto. "How do you plan on doing that?"

"I need you to hold him." Naruto said.

At the same time that Naruto asked him for help, Squall knew that Naruto was asking him to trust him. He could hear it his voice, in the undercurrents. Squall had seen what Naruto could do, and he no longer doubted his ability to fight. He had all the makings of a SeeD. If Ifrit weren't defeated now, they would most likely lose their lives.

He nodded.

"Done."

Naruto performed a series of hand seals. **"Kagebunshin no jutsu!**" Shadow clones popped into existence. They palmed shuriken into their hands and then threw the weapons out in a wide field.

**THAT WON'T WORK ON ME AGAIN, FOOL**! Ifrit roared. He reared himself up and prepared to shoot into the air to avoid the projectiles.

**"Blizzaga!"** Icy energy shot from Squall's open palm, and wrapped around Ifrit, holding him in place. Squall smiled inwardly. His magic was too weak to form a strong enough ice cage to hold Ifrit in the hot cavern, but Shiva had changed the situation. With her appearance the air had frosted over, and the once humid air had disappeared, allowing for even his magic to succeed. He tightened his grip as the magic materialized around the Guardian spirit. The kunai from the shadow clones sank into Ifrit's flesh and he let out a roar and began struggling within the ice. The ice cracked.

The shadow clones rushed towards him with kunai in their hands. Ifrit let out another roar of heated flames that swept the shadow clones from existence. Ifrit realized he had made a mistake. The clones were a distraction!

Naruto grinned as he saw Squall shoot out the blizzaga. To his side, a clone ran parallel to him. Their left and right hands were together, and in the center was a rasengan that glowed white with rippling chakra. They approached Ifrit.

**"OODAMA RASENGAN! Great Ball Rasengan!" **

The unstable chakra of the enhanced rasengan released itself upon Ifrit. The ground below the guardian force caved in the shape of a circle as rock was crushed to dust by the techniques destructive power. In its center, Ifrit let out a final roar as chakra tore his body, and reduced his physical form to shreds.

Naruto was caught in it's midst, and a portion of the chakra unleashed itself on the boy. The tearing impact stunned him.

**YOU ARE STRONG, MORTAL. I HAVE UNDERESTIMATED YOUR SPIRIT. BY THE RITE OF ANCIENT PACT, I YIELD TO YOU.**

Ifrit's spirit erupted from his shell, devouring his body in a blaze of white-hot light. Flames licked up once inflammable skin, and the spirits body became an indistinct shape in the pyre. Soon, there was nothing else left but ash.

**CALL UPON MY POWER AS YOU WISH.**

Squall walked forwards and past and past an unconscious Naruto.

"You really pushed yourself, didn't you?" He said evenly with a slight hint of admiration.

He dug through the ashes with his gunblade until he found what he was looking for.

A small, blazing red ruby. It was proof of victory against Ifrit, and the summoning jewel to call upon his strength. Turning around, he saw Quistis begin to awake from her temporary coma. She groaned as the backlash from using so much blue energy hit her. Squall gave the barest of grimaces. He was sure to feel it tonight too.

He leveled discerning eyes to Naruto who had begun drooling and remembered the strange techniques Naruto had used. He had produced multiple clones of himself, and more importantly, the destructive chakra he had used.

That blinding blue chakra that had devastated Ifrit in a single blow.

_The energy was at on par with a forbidden magic…was it blue magic? No…impossible. I haven't seen anything like that before._ Squall thought. What was Quistis hiding from him? Why had Ifrit attacked them at full force? He determined that he would find out from Quistis once they arrived back at Garden.

"Naruto…" He asked to himself, "what are you?"

…

Squall to himself: _Now how do we get out of here?_

…

…

…

A/N: AHHH. This chapter is poor quality! What am I thinking releasing such poop!? Please forgive me, I was sick when I was typing this. Damn fever makes me all dizzy. Normally I like my fight scenes much longer. The next one will be much better! Trust me!

**Level up!**

Current Statistics:

Uzumaki Naruto Level 18. Konoha Surprise Ninja

Hp: 350

Mp: 450

Strength: 47

Speed: 40

Vitality: 64

Luck: 70

Magic: 33

Spirit: 6 + 30 (level dependant from Kyuubi – passive ability)

Weapons: 1xkunai 12xshuriken

Junctioned GF #CLASSIFIED#

Special Abilities:

Regeneration – Increased natural healing ability (passive - Kyuubi dependant)

Kyuubi Chakra – Abilities can increase up to 100 percent - Increased mana and regeneration (Usable only under certain circumstances)

…

Quistis Trepe Level 20. Blue Expert

Hp: 270

Mp: 330

Strength: 37

Speed: 35

Vitality: 33

Luck: 29

Magic: 69

Spirit: 32

Weapons: Whip – Chain Whip

Junctioned GF #CLASSIFIED#

Blue Abilities:

Laser Eye : Shoots a concentrated beam from the eyes. Self explanatory.

Psychic Blast : Can move objects with mind for a very brief period of time.

…

Squall Leonheart Lvl.19 Gunblade Specialist

Hp: 305

Mp: 180

Strength: 45

Speed: 49

Vitality: 50

Luck: 35

Magic: 46

Spirit: 30

Weapons: Gunblade – Revolver

Junctioned GF : Shiva

…

Monster Stat:

Ifrit Lvl. 40 Mid-level Fire Elemental Guardian Force

Hp: 2125

Mp: 788

Strength: 85

Speed: 69

Vitality: 80

Luck: 25

Magic: 80

Spirit: 40

Weakness : Ice, Water

Resistance : Fire, Earth

…

…


	6. Overdrive

Naruto: Dual Worlds : Overdrive

OOO

OOO

Disclaimer: I don't own FF8 or Naruto.

OOO

OOO

"Naruto…slow down, won't you? You'll develop an ulcer if you keep eating like that." Quistis stared at the blond ninja eating. The sight of the boy scarfing down bowl after bowl of ramen made her slightly noxious. Looking down at the half-finished sandwich on her tray, she realized how insignificant her appetite was compared to his.

"Thenks for treeting me _nee-san_. Yur fa best!" Naruto chewed out between mouthfuls of mouth-watering noodles.

Quistis sighed, and rested her weary head in her hands.

Yesterday, they had successfully completed the fire cavern exam in the allotted time. However, the aftermath led to more questions that there were before. She remembered that Ifrit, an ancient magical entity called a Guardian Force, had singled him out for some inexplicit reason. The fight had almost killed them all, but by some lucky dice throw of fate they had managed to scrape a victory from an Ifrit that was fighting at one-hundred percent of its natural battle capabilities. It would have been a close call for even a team of top-rated SeeD's.

Afterwards, she had wanted to ask Naruto whether he knew anything about Ifrit's outburst, but the boy had fallen unconscious from the fight. That brought an even stranger mystery. As she and Squall hefted the heavy boy all the way out of the cavern, his wounds had begun to close by themselves. A burn mark that had stretched across his forehead had sealed itself in half-a-minute. The closest hypothesis that Quistis could come to was that it was somehow a passive – and permanent – regeneration magic.

But that was impossible.

A person's magical energy core could only generate and channel so much magic. It completely defied all theories of paramagical abilities she had heard of. Unless, she knew, there was a powerful internal power source that provided Naruto with that power. She had guessed that it might have been temporary, but along the few hour hike back to Balamb Garden, the smaller wounds also healed, and after a night in bed, Naruto seemed more hyperactive than yesterday.

Broth sloshed onto the steel cafeteria table as Naruto slammed the bowl down with a flourish. He leaned back and enjoyed the pleasant food coma that was clouding his mind with pleasant thoughts of ramen and rainbows.

"So, _Nee-san_, you wanted me too see someone?" Naruto looked up and saw that Quistis was staring at him with those intense blue eyes of hers. It reminded him of old lady Tsunade when she got her hands on some new medical journal or undiscovered specimen. He winced. "_Nee…san_?"

Quistis snapped back to reality and out of her thoughts. "Oh. Yes. That's right Naruto. Didn't I already brief you this morning? Don't tell me you already forgot."

Naruto panned, and his eyebrows squished together. There was something that _nee-san_ had said when she came to his room this morning...what was it? It had something to do with a mission, and he couldn't recall the exact details. He smiled shyly and shrugged his shoulders apologetically.

Quistis rolled her eyes in exasperation. "I guess you're still tired from yesterday."

"I am?" Naruto asked, before mentally slapping himself. "I _am_!"

Quistis shot him a look of mock disbelief. "I will assume you are then. Do you remember anyone else in your room today? For instance, your room mate?"

_That was right_, Naruto thought. He had woken up in a new room today. They must have finally found someone who had spare space. There had been pictures of martial artists plastered on the walls, and it had been disturbingly clean and fresh. It had practically reeked of overwhelming youth and peppiness.

"Ahh. When I woke up someone was just leaving. I think he didn't want to wake me up…" Naruto recalled. When he woke up that morning, his injuries recovered, someone had quietly snuck outside, probably not wanting to wake him from his sleep. The door had swished shut just as Naruto's eyes opened.

"That would be Zell. He's the Cadet that lent me the clothes you're wearing right now. I'm sure you two will get along fine. After all, you two have _many_ similarities." Quistis remarked.

"Like what?" Naruto leaned forward and inch and eyed her suspiciously. He didn't like her tone...it was too…too smug, like how Sakura would sometimes play a joke on him without him knowing and others would laugh, to his chagrin.

"You'll find out. Tomorrow you're going to be going on the last part of your mission, and I've assigned Squall, Zell, and Seifer to be in your squad. Of course, I will be looking out for you for and them. Even though it is also the exam, it's still considered a SeeD mission and the Dollet government already paid in advance. An accident would be both unacceptable to me and Balamb Garden"

"Wait." Did he hear that correctly "There's another test? Wasn't the fire cavern exam the only one? It was sure tough enough to be one."

"That." Quistis replied. "Was the preliminary exam. You needed to pass that to qualify for the real exam, which is an actual graded field assignment. SeeD rank will be dispensed according to how well you do."

"Ahhh." It reminded him of the Ninja academy back at Konoha. "So it's like Konoha too. Even if we graduate from the Academy, we still have to be qualified by a jounin sensei before we can become ninja."

"Academy." Quistis looked Naruto straight in the eyes.

He nodded with a smile plaster on his face.

"_Ninja_."

He nodded.

"_Jounin_."

He predictably nodded again.

Quistis sighed and shook her head, tussled blond strands falling from her neatly combed hair, and she felt the beginnings of a migraine develop. "It's just that…I still find that so hard to believe. Alternate dimensions and what not. After having been taught your entire life that there is only one physical world, it's hard to accept the possibility that another might exist, much less a certainty of a world full of _ninjas_."

"It's hard for me too. But I guess there are some things that are universal. Like ramen!"

"Like ramen. I guess." Quistis repeated. She pushed back a stray lock of platinum blonde hair that had fallen across her temple.

"Ninjas aside, you seem to know some form of magic. That's what you've learnt back in you're world?"

"Yup!" Naruto vigorously nodded. "There are different types too. _Genjustu, Ninjutsu,_ and _Taijutsu_. Though I'm not that good at _genjutsu_." He conceded.

"Regardless of whatever _jutsu_ you used, I hope it won't shock you to learn that we do things differently here. And for tomorrow's mission, you'll learn for yourself how dangerous magic in this world can be if used _against _you. I saw you fight yesterday, and you can hold yourself in combat, but if you face an opponent tomorrow that can use magic, it would help you if you knew the basics and won't be surprised if a lightning bolt comes roaring at you."

"You're going to teach me?" Naruto asked with hope in his voice.

Quistis pointed her index finger at his forehead. "Bingo! You're smarter than I thought."

Naruto's face soured. "And how smart did you think I was?"

Quistis laughed, and it was like chimes on a spring wind.

"Smart enough. You saved my life yesterday, and don't think I forgot that. In return, I will _personally_ teach you the basics of magic. And believe me; I have a list dozens of pages long of people waiting for an tutor spot from me, so count yourself lucky. Also, Zell will be joining us. I felt it would be a good idea if you two were to meet beforehand to acquaint yourselves, since you _will _be going on a mission together."

"So when are going to start?" Naruto asked, eagerness creeping into his voice. The prospect of learning new _jutsu _excited him. If he returned to Konoha with new abilities, he was sure to impress Sakura-chan, not to mention it would help him in his ultimate goal.

"After you're done eating. I've been waiting for the last - " Quistis glanced at upwards at a large digital clock that hung center in the cafeteria, then looked down at the bowls that scoured the table. "- half hour. And for that matter, I have to watch my promises of treating you to lunch next time. My meager paycheck can't handle this too many times."

Naruto grinned an apology.

OOO

Wind rolled through the emerald hills, creating a mesmerizing dance as the blades of glass moved in unison, a symphony of nature. Just beyond Balamb Garden was a high bluff that overlooked the mercenary academy. With it's spectacular view of the horizon, it had once been a popular meeting place for cadets and SeeD's to meet together for trysts, complete with fern trees that still bore the names that students had carved together in pairs. But when the conservative Instructors had found out about the secret area, they had forbidden SeeD students from meeting there, even going so far as to issue harsh point deductions. Now it was an lonely spot, with nothing but the relics of funner times to amuse the occasional passer-by from Balamb.

However, one man stepped at the peak of the bluff, and looked downwards. A dread mist seemed to surround him, fogging the air in a five-foot radius around him.

His gaze lingered on Balamb Garden, until the noon sun mercilessly shone down.

He finally looked away and stepped back, his hand brushing his chin thoughtfully. He snapped his fingers, and another person, this one a younger boy, flashed into view behind him. When he spoke, his voice was as frosty as winter air.

"Haku." The word that came out wasn't a question, but a statement.

"Yes, Zabuza-san." Haku murmured back. He kept his eyes respectfully down, knowing that Zabuza would know if his eyes lingered too long on his narrow back.

"Are the preparations ready? The witch. Has she delivered the promised forces."

Haku looked up and found that Zabuza's eyes were locked directly on him.

"Yes." He answered. "I met with her contacts from Galbadia. The ruby dragons will arrive by nighttime. She's placed them under a binding _genjutsu._ They will answer to us until the plan is executed."

"For now." Zabuza remarked. He knew full well that the traitoress woman was as fickle as a storm, and wouldn't bat an eyelash to break their contract and betray them.

He laughed. Of course, that was if he didn't betray her first.

Reaching into his pocket he withdrew a folded piece of cloth and set himself down cross-legged on the dry grass. Unfolding the cloth, it turned out to be a replica of the area, including in the corner a detailed map of the inside of Balamb Garden. He looked over the intricate lines that marked the hallways and passages.

"Have you studied the plans that I gave to you?"

"Yes." Haku began to say something else, but the words caught in his throat. He understood Zabuza, and knew that when he set his mind to something, there was no dissuading him from his path. But…there was always that chance. Always that chance that they could go back to how things were, before Zabuza was tempted with the promise of life.

His hands balled into fists when he thought back of days long gone, though his expression didn't betray the raging emotions he felt. Before _she_ had beckoned to him.

His voice was meek when he called out. "Zabuza-san."

"Hm, Haku? What is it?"

"I…I believe that there is another path that we may follow. Though the sorceress agreed to restore your essence, her words rang false. There might be another way."

Haku waited for a response, but the only answer was silence.

"Won't you reconsider? I…I am your weapon, and I will continue to serve until the flame of my life extinguishes. If you wish, I will give what is left of my soul to you. Then you wouldn't need to - !"

Zabuza raised his palm up, silencing him.

"Haku. I made up my mind long ago. We will follow with the plan." Zabuza looked at the young boy. He knew that Haku was in pain right now, knew that conflicting feelings raged in him. But it was too late to change what had already happened.

Neither he nor him had much time left.

Haku averted his eyes from under Zabuza's soft gaze.

"Do not worry. You've been by my side long enough that I know what you are thinking." Zabuza said. "Of the two that came here, we only need one. The other may live and find his path out of this world. But we will capture the other one and he will be used as the energy source. Fate is strange. Perhaps he will live through that too?"

And before Zabuza repeated the name of their target that had been etched into their minds three years ago, Haku had already closed his mind to the inevitable.

"…Uzumaki Naruto."

OOOooOO

Naruto felt apprehensive when Quistis led him back to the training center. He had good reason to. Just a few days ago he had been attacked by a pair of vicious T-Rexaurs, the giant dinosaurs that ruled the artificial jungle. The jungle itself was mind-boggling. Even Konoha wouldn't use monsters as _training tools_.

"Are you sure this is safe, _nee-san_?" Naruto stuttered. He walked as silently as possible, making sure he stepped over every branch and twig. His ears twitched as tried to listen to the rumbling earth shakes that indicated when a T-Rexaur approached. Quistis cast him an exasperated look before assuring him that she would know and would inform him if any T-Rexaurs approached.

She led him through a different path that branched off several times. The path twisted for several minutes until Quistis finally pulled back a heavy branch and they came into a cleared area. The cleared area itself was an anomaly. Trees inched roots into the dirt, but nothing grew, not even grass, in a giant circle the size of a stadium. It was approximately the same size as the Konoha stadium where the _chuunin _exam had taken place so many years ago. The ground was flat, and oddly out of place for a jungle.

_Perfect for training,_ Naruto thought.

"Ah! There's Zell! He's early. Can't say I'm shocked, because I am. He's always late."

"That's him?" Naruto asked.

As they neared, he gave Zell a closer examination. He was bright blond, his hair shaped up into a faux-mohawk that framed a pair of sky blue eyes. He wore a baggy pair of short blue jeans with two giant pockets that came down to his knees, along with a red bomber jacket. As he danced around making strange punching motions in the air, Naruto deducted he was a martial artists. Lee had also done the same thing several times before when he was training by himself.

"Hey!" Zell greeted them with a cheery smile as they walked over. He held out his hand to Naruto who shook his hand.

"So you're the kid I've been hearing about and my new roommate also. I didn't get a good look at you when I was getting ready this morning. Didn't want to disturb you, ya know? You're bigger than I thought you'd be." Naruto took that as a compliment and smiled back with a "Thanks."

Quistis shot him a glance. "And _what_ exactly have you been hearing Zell. Do tell. I'm all ears."

"Ah nothing' nothin', don't get all instructory on me Quistis, alright. You know you're ten times cooler when you're fun. And it was just the normal cafeteria rumors ya know."

Quistis's voice turned frigid. "It's my duty to know what's going on. Headmaster Cid wants to make sure that Naruto here stays under the radar. So before we start, Zell. The rumors. Make it quick."

"Rumors?" Naruto echoed. The idea that people he didn't know were talking about him interested him.

Zell chuckled. "Alright alright! It's nothing! It's just who wouldn't be suspicious to see a kid like him wondering the halls. And in those clothes!"

Zell looked to Naruto, "No offense to you, Naruto, was it?" He winked. "And that's an _awesome _selection by the way. That style never goes out. Kudos to Quistis here for asking me for clothes."

Naruto thanked him again. The clothes had proven themselves to be remarkably comfortable.

"So you see Quistis, not my fault k'?"

Quistis sighed and shook her head wearily. "Sorry about that Zell. It's just the faculty kept asking me questions about Naruto today. You know how they can be a bother sometimes. It took me a better part of an hour before I could pull away. They'll probably be back again later too."

Zell and Naruto nodded in grave understanding. Zell knew how troublesome the faculty staff could be, especially since he was a first class-prankster himself.

"What are you nodding at!?" Zell blurted out when he saw Naruto mimicking him.

"I don't know! You nodded like it was important so I did too!" He blurted back.

"…"

"…"

Quistis politely muffled her laugh with her hand. The pair were more alike than she had thought. "Let's get to business Zell. I requested your help in training Naruto today since tomorrow you two are going to be participating in a SeeD mission together that will also serve as your final exam."

Zell's eyes brightened like flashbulb, and wheels began to turn in his mind. Quistis had said something like that earlier, but he had been busy haranguing the lunch lady for an extra tray of delicious kosher half-pound hot dogs. "Ah! I remember! But wait…he's going on a SeeD mission? Did he pass the field exam yet?

"Yes he did. I was the SeeD accompanying him."

Zell jumped back surprised. The field exam was no small joke. SeeD cadets failed regularly and had to wait another year before they could retake the exam. And this young boy here had finished it on his first try? He looked back at Naruto, who seemed to gotten lost in all the the talk. This time when he looked over Naruto though, there was a considerably higher degree of respect in his sky blue eyes. "Wow! He's the youngest cadet I've heard of to pass the field exam! Pur-retty amazing."

"He is the youngest. And if he makes SeeD, he'll be the youngest cadet to graduate."

"Younger than you." Zell asked with awe.

"Yes, younger than me." Quistis grit out. When she was a cadet she had been considered a prodigy, and was given the honor of being the youngest cadet to pass the fire cavern exam and the SeeD mission to become a fully fledged SeeD. It did hurt her pride a smidgeon to give up that title to Naruto, though she took consolation in the fact that she had done taken the exam alone and had passed with ease, whereas Naruto had gone with an instructor and a high-ranked cadet yet almost died.

"Hehe. I'm pretty amazing then aren't I." Naruto smiled smugly, crossing his arms.

"Don't get to cocky, boy." Quistis pointed her finger down his nose. "I can still give you a whipping." She fingered the coiled whip on her belt to emphasize the statement, and Naruto blanched.

"Anyways, let's stop with the chit-chat and get to work."

"Alrighty then!" Zell cracked his knuckles then bent down to stretch his muscles. "So Naruto, how advanced of a magic level are you? Level 2? I think I was finishing my rank 1 magic classes when I was your age, though magic was never really my thing."

"Uhhh…" Naruto blanked out. Quistis hadn't told him anything about levels yet… "Well that's…"

Quistis filled in for him. "Rank zero. He's never had any training before."

Zell laughed. "No, really. Rank 1?" When there was no response he looked at Naruto, who was looking embarrassed, then back to Quistis, who was patiently tapping her feet on the ground. _Ooh boy_, he thought. Quistis tapping her heels meant she was talking business. Serious business. He had picked that up during the years when she had tutored him. "You're not kidding me, are you?"

"No."

"Then how did he pass the field exam without magic!?" Zell exploded at once.

"Ah! I used _ninjutsu. _And _nee-san_ helped a lot!" Naruto blurt out before shutting his mouth one step too late. Quistis face-palmed.

"_Ninjutsu_?" Zell asked.

Quistis sighed. She hadn't expected Naruto to keep shut with that loud attitude of his, but she had secretly hoped that just maybe, just maybe a miracle would occur so she wouldn't have to go through the trouble of explaining to him. "Since you're going to be on his team, I guess it would better if you knew more exact details on Naruto. Though, this is classified information from headmaster Cid, so don't say any of this to anyone, got that? Under normal circumstances I wouldn't tell anyone, but since I've known you since first enrolled, I know you well enough to trust you to keep this a secret. Top secret."

Zell crossed his hand over his heart solemnly. "SeeD's honor."

"Naruto, you explain to him. It's probably best if he first hears it from you instead of me."

Naruto bit his lip and his cheeks puffed out. How to start an explanation of something that was entirely ridiculous and unbelievable at the same time?

"Well, uh…I'm a ninja."

Zell stared back at Naruto with an perplexed expression. He leaned forward a little and his golden eyebrows arched together. "…_Ninja_…?"

"Yah, I'm a _genin_ from Konoha." Naruto reiterated.

Zell pulled towards him even more until he was a step away. "_Nin…ja…_?"

Naruto looked Zell in the face, which wasn't very far away. The blond had pulled close enough that their noses almost touched. "Yes! Jeesh!"

"Holy _Hyne_!" Zell said at last before jumping backwards. He caught himself and then words came out in a rush. "Oh wow that's cool! You mean like a ninja that uses daggers and wears black and can turn invisible and stuff!?"

Naruto wasn't sure how to respond to Zell. He didn't think that the blond would just accept that he was a ninja so easily, especially since Quistis _nee-san_ didn't seem to believe him when they had first met. For good reasons of course. "Well, um…some ninja's can turn invisible I guess, but that's not really what I'm good at…"

Zell began jumping up and down excitedly like a bouncy ball as he did whenever something of extreme interest came to him. "Oh wow, I've never seen a ninja before! Where do you come from? What can you do? Do you have weapons? What do you eat? Hot dogs? No. Ninja's don't eat hot dogs, do they? They probably eat something like ninja hot dogs. Hot dogs that can go invisible! Whoa! Gimme some of that!"

Zell continued to ask questions at a harried Naruto who had difficulty answering the torrent of questions that were pouring from him. At their side, Quistis rolled her eyes. She should have expected someone like Zell to believe that Naruto was a ninja. The boy was just too deliciously gullible. But this was cutting into their training time, and she didn't have all day to muck around. She unhooked the coiled whip from her side and let the leather snake unroll. She had packed her leather whip today for training, instead of the much deadlier steel one she used for missions. With an expert snap of her wrist, the whip flashed out and smacked Zell's back just hard enough to sting him, but not hard enough to cut.

Zell jumped up as if someone had lit a fire under him. "_Ow_! Quistis whaddya do that for!?" He reached back and felt for any ripped clothing. To his relief, his clothes were perfectly fine, though his butt still stung. "These are new pants you know!"

"Well you shouldn't wear new pants when you're training." She remarked dryly.

Naruto looked to Quistis and silently thanked her. He wasn't sure how much longer he could have gone before he had lost patience and socked Zell a new one.

Stepping forward, Quistis waved her hand a little for him to step back and Zell obediently followed.

"That's all you need to know for now, Zell. Needless to say, all other information is classified. As such, if I feel that more information is necessary for the good of the mission, I'll explain more. Now, let's get down to training."

Zell pouted his lips and crossed his arms. "Ugh. Alright. And I wanted to know more about ninja's too…"

Quistis turned to Naruto. "I'm going to tell you the basics of magic Naruto, if you have any questions, just ask."

"Okay." Naruto said. He was used to this from that old pervert Jiraiya. The old man loved giving lectures on techniques and how he had perfected them through experience and his own genious. Sometimes, Naruto though he just liked hearing his own voice.

"Magic, in a sense, is the basis of life. It's a form of energy that runs through all objects; humans, animals, trees, and even rocks. It's the necessary component for _any_ life to function. There are several different types of energy, such as water, fire, or wind. With the proper training, us humans can channel and mold these energies to do specific things. For instance, by channeling the fire energy, I can create a fireball. That's about as simple as it gets. The nature of magics such as healing or resurrection is much more complicated so I won't explain that to you."

Naruto bit his lip. It sounded like chakra alright. The latent energy within all beings that shinobi used to command _jutsu._

"_Nee-san_!" He called out.

"Yes?"

"Then what about things such as uh…um…" Naruto tried to recall the name of the fire being they had fought yesterday, but it slipped his mind.

"Ifrit." Quistis finished for him.

"Yeah! That's it." _Doh,_ Naruto thought with a mental wince. Quistis _nee-san_ probably though he was an idiot.

"I was just about to explain that. Zell, do you remember what a guardian force is?" Quistis said with a sly look on her face.

Zell blanched. He had been busy moping and hadn't been listening to what Quistis had been saying. But he knew the sneaky instructor was using this as a chance to test him too. And if he didn't know, she would dock his SeeD points. Looking at the whip that was still in her hand, she might smack him a few times just for kicks he didn't get it right.

"A guardian force is…a guardian force is…uh…a high density concentration of magical energies that has…uh…taken…con…sciousness…?" Zell winced and waited for Quistis to correct him. To his utmost surprise Quistis nodded proudly.

"Correct, Zell. I must admit I am pleasantly surprised that you've been keeping up on your studies. A guardian force such as Ifrit is a being of self-regenerating magical energies that can take physical form. There isn't much known about how guardian forces come to being. Some are the memories of humans that were so strong in their mortal lives that similar energy collected unto them, turning them into guardian forces, like Ifrit. Some used to be plants or monsters. And some have no plausible explanation at all."

_Like the kyuubi,_ Naruto thought. He looked within himself, but the kyuubi was disturbingly silent. The nine-tailed fox spirit had not responded to his calls in days, as if it were waiting for something. Ever since they had arrived, the fox had seemed to be plotting something. Perhaps a guardian force was something like the kyuubi?

"Regardless of where they come from, guardian forces can be junctioned to humans by forming a pact or by drawing the guardian force directly. By doing so, the guardian force lends its power and increases the strength and speed of its junctioned user, and magic can be channeled through the guardian forces being."

Naruto scrunched his eyebrows. "But _nee-san_, didn't you say that humans can use magic too, so how come you need a guardian force to do it?"

"That is correct. But with a guardian force it becomes infinitely easier. Humans must train for years to adapt themselves to the stress of using magic. Not only that, but a certain amount of aptitude is required. Not everyone is capable of using magic. Since guardian forces are magical entities of pure energy, they can channel magic that would normally be beyond the channelers current ability. Balamb Garden specializes in the use of guardian forces."

"Ooooh. I see…"

"Yesterday you did something similar didn't you? Those techniques you used, what were they called again?"

Zell looked between Quistis and Naruto. "Oooo techniques?! _Ninja_ techniques?"

"_Kagebunshin_. It's a _ninjutsu_ where _chakra_ is molded into a similar copy. Though, it disappears when it's hit." Naruto knew that all too well.

"_Chakra_?"

"It's the energy within the body that is used to activate _ninjutsu, genjutsu_, or _taijutsu_. And you have to do the hand seals too, to shape the energy. I don't know much else about the whole theory stuff, that's more of Sakura's field."

"Sakura?"

"My friend."

"Ah." Quistis filed away that tidbit of information. "Well, it seems that _chakra_ is similar to the basic energies that I was talking about. However, the method in which you channel it is different. Magic isn't often shaped on the spot, as it requires intense concentration. The energy must be gradually altered over time, where it is then stored as spells. Or, finding a draw point and drawing the latent magic spells there. Since you are from a different world, the chemistry of your body is probably different."

_Another world!…_was what Zell _wanted_ to say, but he saw the evil glint on Quistis's face. She was in teacher-of-hell mode or mad scientist mode, and he knew better than to disrupt her, especially when there was some knew magic theory or whatever it was that so fascinated her.

She continued. "So the question is, whether you can channel magic. Those techniques you use can be used against beings of this world, and can even counter magical spells, so the basic principle of energy must be the same. However, I doubt Zell or I could create several simulacra of ourselves unless I had the necessary blue magic ability. Since we can't use _ninjutsu_, we have to find out whether or not the reverse is true for you also.

"And how do I do that?"

"You aren't trained in magical channeling as I am, so the best way for you would be to use a guardian force." She concluded.

"I'm going to junction a guardian force!?" Naruto's eyes goggled in excitement.

"This will be a test run, to measure the capabilities. I don't know what will happen, so it might be a little dangerous. Do you still want to test it, Naruto?"

He didn't even need to think of the answer. "Hell _yes_!"

She snapped her fingers. "Zell."

Zell shot to attention. "Yes!"

"You're still junctioned to Quetzalcoatl right?" She asked, referring to the lone guardian force that Zell usually kept junctioned to him. She knew that he had probably brought along Quetzalcoatl, but she wanted to make sure.

"Yup! Fully charged and ready to go!"

"Good. Then secure the perimeter and activate the third layer energy shield around this area." Quistis said. What she referred to was the special dome that had been built here. It was able to encompass the entire dirt field, keeping monsters out, and volatile energies in.

Well, it had been her original intention all along to bring Naruto to the one area in Balamb Garden specifically designed for Guardian force training.

Zell nodded and scuttled off. Looking towards his direction, Naruto could that Zell had run towards the edge of the circular field. Peering closer, he could see the blond pushing some buttons from a panel he hadn't seen before. A humming sound shivered through the air for a brief moment before disappearing. Naruto looked up, and could barely make out the outline of something that seemed to be a nearly invisible bubble that rounded up and around the field.

"This will be a very quick test Naruto, but I want to take precautions anyways, since there are some unknown factors. Zell is activating an energy shield designed to resist high levels of magic energies. Since this is where people train with their guardian forces, the shield has been installed so in case anything happened, it would be limited to this area of Garden."

"Sooo what's going to happen? What am I going to junction?" Naruto asked eagerly.

Reaching to the side of her blouse, she popped up a little buttom and reached in for something. Fishing out the item, she showed it to Naruto. It was a tiny red ruby that blazed with an inner light.

It was the binding stone of the Guardian Force Ifrit.

"Ifrit. You defeated him yesterday, so his affinity to you should be much higher than if I randomly juntioned one to you." She handed him the stone and he accepted. It was warm in his palm, generating a soft red glow that pulsed with heat.

"Do I…eat it?" He asked, confused as to how to use this stone.

Quistis chuckled. "No, Naruto, you don't eat it. I'll tell you how in one second after I explain some things and when Zell gets back."

Naruto waited impatiently for her to continue.

"While I doubt anything will go wrong, If something does go wrong, I'll simply draw Ifrit out of your body. I don't have a guardian force junctioned to me right now, but I'm more than capable of handling anything if something should occur, and Zell is here too, so you don't need to worry."

"I wasn't worrying in the first place." He mumbled.

Quistis looked at Naruto as saw that there was no sign of anxiousness or nervousness. "Most cadets are a little scared the first time. But you're braver than I thought."

He thumbed his chest. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto after all."

"That you are." Quistis looked back and saw Zell jogging up to her side.

"It's activated Quistis." Zell said, then looked to Naruto with a reminiscent look clouding his baby blue eyes. "Boy, I remember I was scared _shitless _the first time I junctioned Quetzalcoatl. But its fun! And you can even talk to your guardian force sometimes if they're in a good mood!"

Talk to them? Naruto could talk to the Kyuu-bi when he arrived at this world too…

"Ready, Naruto?" Quistis asked at last. She and Zell both stepped back a good thirty yards from Naruto, giving him space to junction comfortably.

"Uh, yah!" He said, forgetting all about the nine-tailed fox for now. He would deal with that later.

"Just place the stone against your forehead, and think of it being absorbed into your body." She called out once she was far away enough.

"That's it?"

"It's that simple. What did you think; we would drill a hole into your brain and shove it in?"

Naruto sweat-dropped. It did come across his mind once, or twice, or a few dozen times. Not wanting to appear nervous, he placed the stone against his forehead. It felt silly, and he probably looked silly too, but he knew that nee-san wouldn't lie to him. She had probably done this before too, so it wouldn't be ridiculous to her. He concentrated, and thought of the stone imagining his mind.

And the stone melted, and sank through his skin.

For a brief moment, Naruto could feel something hot, Ifrit no doubt, enter his body. A surcharge of energy beamed through him, heat racing up and down his chest as Ifrit accustomed himself to Naruto's body.

Then, within his mind to him only, Naruto could hear a roaring challenge issuing from the depths of his body. He recognized it instantly, for only one being in the world could create such a sound. It was the Kyuu-bi, and the demon was laughing in joyous horror.

First a hot flood of pain erupted in his arms, then control left him. Soon after that another pain swelled in his legs, and he fell down unable to control himself.

**DELICIOUS!**

His vision swam, and the world became black.

* * *

Everything was going according to plan. The energy field had been set up, and when she saw the red ruby enter through his forehead,, she confirmed that Naruto had successfully junctioned Ifrit. Now she only had to wait for Naruto to grow used to the feeling of a guardian force in his body before testing to see whether or not he could use magic. 

Then to her surprise, Naruto's arms went limp, and he fell down to the floor, his legs unable to support him. He had apparently fallen unconscious.

"Quistis, that's not supposed to happen, is it…" Zell asked. There was worry in his voice.

"No…not at all…" Quistis began stepping towards Naruto slowly, and when the boy didn't move, her pace quickened to a run. Zell ran behind her, and they both leaned down, turning Naruto around so they could examine him.

Zell placed his hand on Naruto's forehead. "Ouch!" His hand snapped back. "Quistis, he's _burning._ I mean it!"

Quistis could feel the intense heat coming from his body. Her eyebrows creased. Had something happened to Ifrit? What had gone wrong? Perhaps Naruto's body was unable to deal with a guardian force after all?

She folded up his shirt, making sure not to touch his burning skin. When his bare stomach and chest came into view, her eyes widened.

A tattoo on Naruto's stomach was pulsating. It was a black circle that centered around his belly button. Five spiral shapes extended from the wavy circle, and right now each was moving in sync with each other. The ink faded in and out, disappearing and reappearing as if unsure of its fate.

"What's that?!" Zell gasped, noticing the strange runes of Naruto's stomache. "Holy Hyne! He didn't tell us about this!"

"It doesn't matter. We'll worry about that later. I'm drawing Ifrit out. Now." She bit her lip, and then placed her hands on his chest. The skin-to-skin contact would allow her to facilitate a strong instantaneous drawing. Her hands sizzled but she grit through the pain. _What pain,_ she thought, _is Naruto be experiencing now_?

She pulled with her being as she had done countless times before.

To her and Zell's bewilderment, nothing happened. The skin still scalded her, and Ifrit didn't respond to her call.

"What in the world - ?" Raising her finger, she quickly cast a scan on Naruto and an aura of divining magic settled of him. Through the haze of the scan spell and to her only, she could see the bright ruby red that was Ifrit's energy. But it was fading. Something…something the color of dark blood was surrounding Ifrit's. She hadn't seen it before! Where had it come from!? The darker energy was suppressing Ifrit's…no, she thought.

As impossible as it was, Ifrit was being _subsumed_ by the alien energy. The ruby red energy signal of Ifrit's was waning. The dark red _chakra_ the color of congealed blood was coming through. It would come out at - !

Quistis grabbed hold of a surprised Zell's arms with one hand and with her free hand cast the strongest magic resisting spell that came to mind. "**BARRIER**!" A glowing translucent green shield that would halt magical attacks flashed into existence around her and Zell.

She cast the spell just in time.

A roaring wave of dark crimson energy, of_ chakra_, burst from Naruto's body as the boy quaked and thrashed from the pressure. It crashed into Quistis and Zell, sending them flying upwards as the barrier protected them against the torrent.

Quistis and Zell landed on the ground with a harsh thud, coughing dirt.

"You're okay, Zell?" Quistis asked. The barrier had barely held. Looking at what was left of the green shield, she could see that the red _chakra_ had eaten the magic spell like concentrated acid. If she hadn't cast that spell in time, she doubted even _her _formidable magic resistance could have saved her from being seriously damaged, much less Zell.

"Just great. Just –damn- great." Zell coughed dust, regretting volunteering to help Quistis. He felt his chest, poking his body to see if anything had broken. Two ribs broken from the sudden explosion and the following fall. He reached back and flipped open one of the large pockets of his jeans, extracting a tiny blue bottle. Uncorking the bottle, he lifted it to his lips and downed the potion in one fluid gulp. He winced as he felt his bones begin to mend by themselves, the potion doing the work of a cure spell. He fished out another one and held it to Quistis. When she declined, he placed it back in his pocket.

"What happened?" Zell asked as he stood up. He reached down and helped Quistis who was wiping off dirt from her blouse.

"I don't know. I didn't anticipate this." Quistis murmured back. "What is happening…?"

Both of their eyes fixed on Naruto. The red chakra that had poured out from his body had pooled around him. It seemed to have a life of its own, covering the boy in the semblance of its true, horrible form.

"It's…it's a _fox_." Quistis concluded. "The energy is taking the form of a fox!"

"Is it Ifrit?"

Quistis reply was swift. "No. This energy is stronger than Ifrit's. _Much_ stronger. I've never seen anything like it. It's not Ifrit, it's something else. And it's killing Ifrit."

"Killing a _guardian force_? That's not possible! I mean, guardian forces are much too powerful to be destroyed, not to mention they are supposed to be magical entities!"

"It's not destroying it. It's _eating _it, and it's taking over Naruto too."

Zell frantic eyes surveyed the scene. The red chakra was whipping up a storm, still forming around Naruto. He could see the beginning of what looked like a tail begin to sprout from the chakra where Naruto's back was. "Wha…what do we now?"

"I asked you to set the shield on its maximum level earlier. This energy shouldn't be able to escape. I'm going to attempt another draw this time."

"But you already tried! It was a contact draw too!" Zell knew a contact draw, when two were touching, was the strongest possible. Quistis had tried that earlier. If that didn't work, what would?

Quistis explained her plan. "I'm going to use a blue draw. It's a blue magic that forcibly removes all guardian forces in the vicinity, even yours. I think it'll work, but it's going to take a la while for me to gather and configure the energy. I need you to occupy him for a few minutes. He might still be conscious of himself if we're lucky."

Zell swallowed, then nodded slowly. He knew how strong that red chakra was, and knew that even though his magical resistance was higher than average, it would most likely burn his skin. He was a martial artist; could he fight against something that he couldn't touch? He touched his gauntlets, custom Metal Knuckles he had purchased just recently, and hoped to Hyne he'd come out of this intact, or at least alive.

"We're going to stop Naruto."

…

…

_Squall:_ I wonder what Quistis is doing right now….

…

…

Zell Dincht Level 18. Martial Artist

Hp: 320

Mp: 150

Strength: 46

Speed: 47

Vitality: 55

Luck: 36

Magic: 31

Spirit: 28

Weapons: Glove – Metal Knuckle

Junctioned GF: Quetzalcoatl

* * *

Monster Stat: 

Kyuu-Bi – one tail mode Lvl. 42 SSS-level Classified being

Hp: 2300

Mp: 800

Strength: 75

Speed: 72

Vitality: 90

Luck: 15

Magic: 92

Spirit: 50

Weakness : Ice, Water, Wind, Gravity

Resistance : Fire, Earth

Special Skill: _Chakra_ immolation – Contact with its _chakra_ causes 30 magic damage every second.


	7. The Beast Within

Naruto: Dual Worlds – Chapter Seven: The Beast Within

A/N: I hope you enjoy this story as much as I do writing it.

* * *

The Beast Within

* * *

The corridor was damp, and smelled of wet decay and old growth as ancient as the forests of Konoha. The quiet pit-pat of Naruto's steps on the broken stone hallway was the only sound that welcomed him. The maze that he had crossed through ever since he had awoken had brought him through narrow tunnels and wide caverns that pulsated with a deep crimson light. The floor was overrun with green moss and briars that were warm to his touch.

Why was he here? He could not remember. His mind was clouded, and his recollections of his own memories were steeped in fog. Yet, even without knowing which path to take, or even knowing if he should step forward, a fierce instinct within pulled him inexorably toward a destination, and the gradually heating atmosphere signaled to him that his steps were sure.

It was instinct that brought in him an immeasurable amount of fear even though he knew, no, he _felt_, where the final destination of this instinct would bring him. He stepped down a steep incline and the sudden wave of heated air that greeted him stole the breath from his body. He rounded the last corridor, and he knew he had arrived.

In front of him lay a titanic gate formed of impenetrable steel bars loomed over him, and. A single yellow sealing note clung to the center of that gate. Naruto recognized it as the avatar of the sealing _jutsu_ that bound the Kyuubi into the abyss of his soul. But now, even has he came back to this place that was so familiar to him, he felt the tangible wrongness in the air.

The note was fraying, Naruto recognized, and small portions of that once impenetrable gate began to gradually fade in and out of existence, as if unsure of itself. The red mist that had always been there, that was the Kyuubi's chakra, increasingly leaked out from those gaps. This time though, it was mingled with something else. A ruby red energy intertwined with the _chakra_, and he knew that the mixed _chakra_ was damaging the sealed gate, accelerating it's degeneration a thousand thousand times. Naruto stepped cautiously forward, and then a whisper of a sound caught his ears.

Striding to the gate, Naruto was surprised that the Kyuubi did not come to greet him. Every instance he had been here before the nine-tailed fox hovered at the entrance of the gate, waiting for a sliver of a chance to escape from his cursed cage, but now the demon's presence was absent. He stopped a bare step away from the steel bars, and peered into the Kyuubi's prison.

Deep inside, farther in than Naruto had ever dared look, he could hear the familiar clash of battle. Roars and blasts and screams echoed back to him, a faint whisper of the undoubtedly horrendous battle that was being waged on the other side. And then like a tidal wave, the memory of what had transpired before he had come here crashed into him.

He had junctioned Ifrit, but something had gone horribly wrong. The guardian force had interacted in a way that he hadn't anticipated. From the din ahead, he could tell what the result of his folly had been in hiding information from Quistis. The guardian force had junctioned to him alright, but Ifrit had been trapped inside the space that was meant for the Kyuubi. And now, the two entities forced into a space together came into conflict with each other.

Naruto had witnessed what the Kyuubi could do. Two years ago when he had been training with his sensei, Jiraiya, he had seen the aftermath of the nine-tailed fox's rampage, and he had also seen first hand the glory of Ifrit's strength.

It was in that moment that he realized beyond a shade of doubt, that Ifrit didn't stand a snowballs chance in hell.

* * *

Balamb Garden was especially quiet today. Most of the cadets were huddled in their room either preparing for upcoming field exams or out taking them. Many Faculty members, left with minimal amounts of work, had nominated to head to Balamb city for a relaxing day. The higher percentage of SeeD were out on missions, and though usually only sixty percent of the 1700 SeeD members were gone at any given time, a recent invasion of the Dollet Kingdom by an aggressive Galbadian nation had supplied the Garden with a much higher amount of work, such that 80 percent of SeeD's were out on various missions.

Just outside the south side of Balamb Garden where there was the least security, Zabuza and Haku stood, with the Garden hovering above them.

"There is no turning back, Haku." Zabuza said in the gravelly voice of his. "You know this."

Haku merely bowed in deference. "I do, Zabuza-san. But, I think wise if you would allow me to command the dragons to perform the least amount of damage."

"Oh?" Zabuza asked, a slight tilt in his voice. He knew his charge very well. "And for what reason is that? Do you think that you can maintain full control over so many of these creatures? Once released into a room of prey, their true nature will be revealed. As is with all things."

"It is possible to direct them to places where they can cause the least harm. The more pain we bring to this Balamb Garden, the higher their enmity will be against us. If they should find out…"

"They would not." Zabuza stated. "What grand organization is this, Haku, this Garden? These are nothing but half-warriors and children who do not understand true battle. Stealth? Cunning? Suppression? They do not truly grasp what these mean. Watch them, Haku, prancing around like so many ants, mocking us shinobi with their pale copy of a true village."

"Still…" Haku began again, before Zabuza stopped him with a wave of his hand.

"Still, you are too soft. I know." Zabuza caught Haku's eyes in his, and what he saw there, behind those eyes that hadn't genuinely smiled at him since he had made the deal with the witch, was a silent appeal towards him.

"…Very well. The dragons were originally under your control anyways. Do as you wish. The only important goal is that we secure the Kyuubi child."

Haku bowed deeply. "It should be time."

And is if those words were the signal, an ear-deafening explosion sounded out above them and even deeper in Garden, blowing away walls that lead to certain rooms, following by another and another that continued for a minute like dominos. The steel covering of Balamb Garden that had fallen into disrepair for so many years gave way and large chunks sheered away to the floor. Giant holes ranging from ten feet in diameter to fifty feet wide appeared, and from those holes appeared cadets and SeeDs and faculty members gawking like flies and frozen in confusion.

Haku raised his arm, and behind him the thirty Ruby Dragons, one of the deadliest and most dangerous predators of the world, shed away their natural ability of invisibility, and took flight into the air. The gawkers were in confusion now, and as if disbelieving the sight, stood silent where they were.

It wasn't until the flight of Ruby Dragons roared and a response from their most hated enemy, the T. Rexaur, which would seek the Ruby Dragons, came together, and their combined sound shook the foundations of Garden did they finally begin running…

"Come, Haku. Let us go."

* * *

"Alright Zell. You know what to do. I'm starting the blue as soon I'm out of range." Quistis said as she stepped backwards and away from Zell.

"Just make sure he doesn't do anything for…" Quistis quickly calculated the required amount of time it would take to configure and release the stored blue energies within her. "Fifteen minutes."

"Gotcha Quistis." Zell looked back at her retreating form and winked confidently at her, giving her a thumbs-up. When Quistis had backed away to the outer perimeter of the barrier shield, the farthest she could be without the energies of the shield affecting her, Zell cautiously approached Naruto.

The red energy that surrounded the Konoha ninja was collecting unto itself, increasing in shades of darkness and size. His eyes were scrunched in pain, as bubbling red _chakra_ began to solidify itself upon his body. Quistis had been right. The energy was taking form, and she had also correctly identified it as a fox. Two crimson ears of _chakra_ curved upwards from Naruto's head and a long, twining tail swung dangerously from his back.

_Fifteen minutes. Why don't I go grab her some caeser salad and ice cream while I'm at it to!? I should have known this was going to happen! I could be eating hotdogs, reading comics, hanging out in the sun. Gah! Maybe_, Zell thought with a slight ray of hope, _maybe Naruto will just stay there nice and quiet and I won't have to do a thing. _

That ray of hope was dashed away as Naruto's eyes suddenly forced open to reveal two blood-shot eyes. Zell was surprised not at that, but at the shape the eyes had taken. They weren't human, he knew, they were something else. Something deep and dark and ancient that made him feel like a worm in a birds sight of view. Two lynx like slits shot with deep red _chakra_ and sparks of light stared at him, gauging him, and Zell felt as if Naruto were stripping him to his core, exposing his flaws and taking in the measure of his weaknesses. Like a predator before the hunt.

"Oh_ great_." Zell muttered to himself. Bringing his arm upwards, he prepared for battle. Those equipped with a guardian force were able to junction stored magical abilities into certain attributes ranging from offensive strength and magical defense to even obscure factors such as luck. And he did just that, junctioning the most powerful spells he had with him into defense to hold off Naruto until Quistis could complete her blue. A golden haze shot with sparks of lightning, Quetzalcoatl's favor, surrounded his body and converged on his fists, before seeping back into his body like a fine morning mist sinking into the ground.

"**Barrier."** He whispered to himself, and translucent green shell surrounded him. Spells scaled with the magical strength of their user, and Zell knew it was weaker than the one Quistis had conjured that had saved them from being knocked out, but it was quick and energy conversant and the best he had. It would suffice.

Zell debated his method of approach. Should he stay back for a while and buy some time, or would it better to take pre-emptive action?

That was decided for him as Naruto suddenly sprang forwards on all fours. In the space of two breaths, Naruto closed the gap between them.

Zell eye's shot open at the speed which Naruto closed the distance and he flung himself to the side just as Naruto took a clawed swipe at him. Catching his balance, he turned backwards on the balls of his feet and with the ease of a dozen years of martial arts training let loose a sudden roundhouse kick that smashed into Naruto's temples. The ninja was reeled backwards as the force of Zell's retaliatory strike made a full circle.

Naruto tumbled backwards like a cat and launched forwards again.

Then Zell surged forward, his fists pumping. The two exchanged blows, but each strike flashed harmlessly past Zell. Then Zell pull back his fist, just as Naruto let fly his fist – and Zell grasped Naruto's forearm and spun around him using his grip as leverage and slammed his drawn back elbow deep Naruto's back.

Naruto unceremoniously sprawled forwards as he slid through the dirt, red_chakra_ burning the ground around him and lay unmoving.

Zell grinned. It was easier than he had thought! Well, he thought proudly, of course it was! That was a special SeeD martial arts technique to strike three centimeters below the neckline where the second and third vertebrate plates connected that should incapacitate the opponent into unconsciousness while not causing any permanent damage. It had taken him a good year to perfect the technique's timing and force.

Something sizzling caught his attention and he looked down at the source of the sound. He frowned. Where his elbow had come into contact with Naruto's red _chakra_ when he struck, the _chakra_ had become stuck to his spell and was boiling away at its surface, wearing down its integrity. In another blink of the eye, a portion of his barrier spell gave way and melted inwards like acid on paper, though the whole of his spell still remained.

_What exactly was this?_ Zell wondered. "Well, whatever it is, it sure is –"

Zell heard a snap behind him and barely turned around in time to see Naruto coming up from behind him. To Zell's surprise the red _chakra_ surrounding Naruto had grown claws that extended into sharp four prongs that were aimed to disembowel him. Zell bent his middle inwards as much as he could and sucked in his stomach, and thanked Hyne that he hadn't eaten too many hot dogs for breakfast as he narrowly avoided being sliced open. The tip of the red _chakra_ caught his barrier and sheared through it like a hot knife in butter.

Using the temporary lag in the follow-up, Zell did a side sweep with his legs that knocked Naruto horizontal in the air.

"Sorry kiddo!" Zell said as splayed his palm out open in front of him. Ruby motes of energy hovered about the tips of his fingers before zipping together in a tiny seed as Zell brought forth a spell from within him. **"Fira**!"

An explosion of sudden fire sent Naruto flying backgrounds as the Fira spell struck him in the chest. He hit dirt and slid for several seconds before coming to a stop. Dust kicked up into the air as smoke sizzled from his body, but Zell could see that the Fira hadn't managed to penetrate the _chakra_ shell that had so fully encased him.

He watched as Naruto picked himself up, or rather, the crimson _chakra_ did. The _chakra_ heaved downwards and slowly lifted Naruto without the ninja even needing to use his arms.

_Gah!_ Zell thought. _That's cheating!_

"I see…" Zell whispered to himself. The Fira spell he had cast confirmed his suspicions. The energy about Naruto gave him a resistance to physical and magical abilities, if not outright immunity. The acidic _chakra_ could boil away magic and who knows what it would do to his skin or body if it pierced through his natural magic resistance. But could Zell's magic, or even his skill at arms penetrate the red _chakra_? A level-two spell, a _Fira_ hadn't worked, so something stronger would be needed…a level-three spell probably, which Zell didn't possess.

"Damnit!" Zell cursed at himself for being such inept magic user. He looked backwards and nearly called out to Quistis to hurry up. He shut himself up before a word could leak from his lips; Quistis was deep in concentration and a faint blue aura was growing around her. Pearls of sweat glistened from her brow as she struggled to contain the volatile blue energies. Estimating the time that had taken place so far, it had been only…three minutes!? _Okay_, he thought, _this might get a little rougher than I thought. No more Mr. Nice Dincht!_

"Naruto!" Zell called out. "I don't know if you can hear me or not, but you're about to receive an imminent Zell Dincht ass kicking surprise! I'll make sure Dr. Kadowaki gives you a nice n' soft bed to rest on!"

"**Barrier**!**"**

The translucent green shell that had been destroyed in several sections thrummed once, then an outpouring of energy flooded the spell and mended the openings. He reared back both his hands as sparks once again crackled alongside his skin and in _that_instant re-junctioned all his magic into his offensive capabilities. His muscles swelled with energy as the power of Quetzalcoatl enhanced his speed and strength. A good offense, he had learnt, was the best defense of all.

He thrust his hands forward at Naruto and the sparks that played along his body sizzled out in a white hot jet of lightning. **"Thundara!"** At the same time the spell flew out, Zell zipped forwards, pacing just behind the sparks of his spell.

Naruto had risen with feline reflex and smashed the bolt away with brute force. The lightning spell exploded in showers of sparks that illuminated the air in front of him – and through that smoke screen Zell broke through, his fist pulled back, and he punched Naruto straight in face.

But Naruto was quicker than he had expected, and pulled back so that Zell's fist grazed his skin. Using one he grabbed hold of Zell's fist in a steel grip and with his other pulled back for a strike.

Zell had expected this, and raised an arm in defense – but instead Naruto released his hand and in that spare second before Zell could react, hammered his fist through the unguarded spot and into Zell's chest.

The breath wheezed out of Zell's lungs as he landed on his back, bellowing out in agony – before whipping his legs around and flipping his body up to his feet. A deep ache shot through his chest and he coughed roughly, catching his breath. _A feint_! Zell thought in faint disbelief, but when he turned to Naruto, it wasn't the ingenuity of that move that caught his mind.

Naruto was trembling. It was slight, but Zell had trained as a SeeD, and he could see that Naruto's chest was rising and falling unevenly. He was in pain, Zell realized at that moment. And in those dilated fox-like pupils of his, Zell could detect just the smallest spark of consciousness…

He didn't have time to think more as Naruto roared in a voice that wasn't fully human, and rushed forwards, the pain evidently not hindering his impossibly quick movements.

Zell stood back and was readied himself to cast a restorative spell, then a spasm of pain shook his body senseless and he leaned over in a fit of coughs. He looked down at his chest, and where there hadn't been any before, was a liquid green energy laced with crimson _chakra_. His barrier had given in when Naruto had punched him, but instead of dissolving, the red _chakra_ had consumed his, and was now eating away at his skin!

_Hynedamnit!_ He thought. He must not have noticed it earlier because his innate magic resistance had briefly delayed the corrosion!

He looked up, and Naruto was already on him. He was bowled by the roaring red ninja, and barely had time to raise his hands in defense. Then Zell coughed again, but this time red blood came from his lips as Naruto punched Zell hard, once, twice, thrice –

Zell heaved upwards and bucked Naruto off him before he could do anymore damage. He placed both hands together and drew from his reservoir of energy. **"Thundara!"** Lightning crackled along his hands again and shot out. The bolt caught Naruto in the chest and sent him soaring backwards where he should have fallen on his back– instead, that red _chakra_ turned him in mid-air and he landed, uninjured, on all fours.

"That_hurt_!" Zell exclaimed as he staggered onto his feet. He took three, even breaths and lay his palm on his chest. **"Cura."** A gentle white aura emanated from his hand, seeking injuries and soaked into his body - but where there was red _chakra_, the healing spell was rejected. His body mended, but the red _chakra_ still pained his chest, and in three knuckle-shaped areas along his stomach where it had melted his clothes and was boiling his skin.

"So…" Zell coughed out, "That red energy…can…prevent cure spells, huh? Well, to say this isn't going well would be an understatement. Ninjas, gotta love 'em."

Naruto stood where he was, growling.

Zell's left eye twitched, a habit of his when he was especially ticked off. "You know Naruto, this would have been so much easier on me and you if you had just stayed where you were. But nooo, you just had to go try and kill me. I like you, and I think you're a neat kid, and since you're Quistis' friend, that makes you my friend also. So trust me when I say this is going to hurt _me_ much than it's going to hurt _you_."

Naruto didn't respond, Zell hadn't expected him to, but he had wanted to give a warning and he had hoped that Naruto, wherever he was under all the dark red energy, could hear him. He could see something happening to the red _chakra_ around Naruto. It was deepening, rolling around and…changing? It was doing _something,_ and Zell didn't plan on letting him do it, whatever it was, not when he had just a few more minutes left to go.

Zell lifted his finger and began to trace a sigil into the air. A trail of light followed the tip of his finger as he looped in the air. Naruto pounced forward again, right before he was about to topple Zell over again, the cadet disappeared, shuffled into a cross dimension.

From where Zell had been was a ball of lightning the size of a curled fist. Naruto eyed the object, not even blinking from its blinding light as it began to grow in size. And when he reached forward, curiously, to touch it, he was thrown a hundred feet backwards as an enormous feathered wing swept out and collided with him with the force of a gale.

Quetzalcoatl, Zell's summon, had answered his call.

Zell's Guardian force was a bird of immense proportions. Two wings, each twenty feet wide, spanned gloriously outwards, supported by a great current of wind that followed in the its wake. Feathers that were the hue of the rainbow reflected and even generated white light and covered the entire of its body. A proud humanoid torso thrust outwards and a sharp, beaked visage looked down with haughty disdain. The guardian force had no legs. Instead, its body curved down into the winged tail-feathers of an eagle.

Energies crackled along its body and electrons hummed within the air. Its shining feathers dazzled as arcs of electricity flared upon its body. It was lightning incarnate. And Quetzalcoatl looked down on Naruto.

A voice filled the air, one that bespoke of excitement and a haste nearly as fast as life, and Quetzalcoatl spoke three words that echoed in air like a thousand whispers.

**It is You. **

Naruto prepared to leap upwards, but Quetzalcoatl was the quicker.

Torrent upon torrent of white-hot energy sped up its body focusing into one singularity. It lashed out with that concentrated energy and dozens of rogue thundaga bolts laced the air. They were aimed for Naruto, and heated the atmosphere as he dodged with them uncanny reflexes. His claws extended, he reached for the guardian force – then a bolt of pure-white heat caught him in the chest and he was sent crashing like a meteorite into the ground. Dirt was kicked up and billowed from the ground in waves.

A lance of continuous solid lightning pinned him there, but unable to break through the red _chakra_, and Quetzalcoatl flapped its great wings once and ascended into the air, just below the reach of the protective dome.

More energy played up its surface, as magic was converted into more and more lightning. It fed that electricity into a quick-silver dome that formed around Naruto from the ground up.

Then, the air stilled for the briefest of moments as the dome completed itself.

The entire dome vanished into a singly point above Naruto, and all the power than had been gathered came pouring down on him at once in a streak of roaring, inexorable white thunder with Naruto at its epicenter. The ground shook and the earth split in the shape of a cross as the intensity of that bolt was great enough that it was given tangible mass.

Then it ended and Quetzalcoatl hovered above the ruin. It flapped its great wings once and a gust of wind blew forwards to scatter the floating debris.

The dust blew backwards – then, a red claw of _chakra_ extended from the dissipating depths of the cloud of dirt. Quetzalcoatl flew back – but its movement was lagged from the expenditure of so much energy and the hand grasped the guardian force around the waist. Its keening screech of pain deafened all noises as cruel red _chakra_ burnt into the entities skin.

Naruto bellowed as the last of the dust cloud drifted away to reveal his grasping hand stretched outwards. His pupils had narrowed more even more, and his face had become fierce, more feral.

Another red tail joined its twin alongside his back.

The guardian force flailed and struggled to extricate itself, but Naruto held fast. He reared his hand back and the guardian force was tossed around. Then Naruto flung Quetzalcoatl upwards with a force so hard that when it struck the containment field its body of energy nearly imploded on collision. The dome became visible as it struggled to prevent the energies from escaping, and flared back in response to the guardian force, searing its body with immeasurable heat. Thousands of blackened feathers filled the air as the guardian force's physical body died and it faded back into its dimension at its dissolution.

Then space shifted once again and Zell popped forwards, nearly tripping over his own feet. To him, not a single second had passed between when he had cast the summoning and reappeared.

_Good_, he thought. Naruto should be lying unconscious somewhere around here. With his magical ability and gauging the relatively strong defensive_chakra_, the offensive power of Quetzal should have been enough to pierce that red _chakra_ without killing him…– and then he felt something wrong. His ability enhancing junctions, his spells, were all gone, or rather – he was unable to access them. And Quetzalcoatl who had always been a spark within his mind had disappeared, or faded away…

But, that meant that Quetzalcoatl would have had to be…!

Zell looked down, and what he saw frightened him. Naruto was right in front of him and stared back at with narrowed eyes. Gone was the shred of humanity that had been there. Now, there was nothing but darkness and hate and loathing and pure killing intent.

Zell prepared to leap backwards – too late.

Naruto bellowed – a deep, hollow sound that filled the entire training center, and a sphere of blackened red _chakra_ erupted from him. It ate through his left-over barrier as if it weren't there and Zell was flattened against that horrible _chakra_ like a fly against a window, then the sphere expanded again and threw him backwards with such force that on landing there were several audible crunches.

Zell was still breathing, though he was drained of strength. He couldn't move, could barely breath, and his voice was gone from him. If only he could reach down and take a potion, anything from his pocket…his eyes flew upward.

Though his sight was hazy, he could still see Naruto steadily approaching him…

Zell could only look as a mere foot away, Naruto stopped, then reached out for one final, killing blow…

Then he stopped in his tracks. Why had he stopped? Zell blinked hard. Had something within Naruto recognized him? No…it wasn't that…

Peering behind Naruto, Zell could see ruby-red energy leaking from the boy's body at unbelievable speeds. It was pulling Naruto backwards, and the ninja was forced to take a step back one at a time as a force pulled his guardian force, and him backwards.

Following the path of energy with his eyes, Zell saw that it led to a swirling blue vortex that had formed in front of Quistis. And then, from within his own body, he felt a weakened Quetzalcoatl un-junction and flow towards the blue mage in a thin, golden strand.

_Just in time_, Zell thought with a smile and a wash of relief. _Though, I might have appreciated this more if she had finished a bit sooner…_

Zabuza strode through the halls of Balamb with Haku following closely behind at his side. There was confusion all around them, and no one cared that one or two strangers had snuck in when there were Ruby Dragons, and soon to be T.Rexaur, Grats, and Granaldos on the rampage.

Very soon, Haku knew, one of the witch's minions, or several of them, would shut down the main power supply. This would disable the protective field that kept the T.Rexaur in their cage of steel, and these creatures would flock out in droves to attack the Ruby Dragons, along with whatever creatures this Garden kept that were now free to roam. Large portions of the Training Hall had already been blown apart by earlier explosives, and there were enough holes and monsters around to keep all of this…Balamb Garden…occupied.

As Zabuza strode the halls with supreme confidence, for he had long since committed the entire map of Balamb Garden to mind, a man in a blue uniform emblazoned with gold, a SeeD, called out to him.

"You! You there! All visitors are to evacuate to safety now!" He said.

Zabuza ignored the man and continued. The man, sensing something wrong, approached him.

"Stop! Identify yourself! Where is your badge of entry!" The man asked aloud with an air of superiority. His face flushed red with anger when Zabuza ignored him once again. "This is your last chance!" He reached out to grab Zabuza's shoulder and spin him around. "Identify yourself now or I will be forced to –!"

The man was flung backwards like a rag doll as something unseen jolted him from the ground and he landed on his back, unmoving. Zabuza continued, not even turning to look at what happened.

Perhaps, hours from now, if Balamb Garden was secure once again, someone would approach this man and notice there was a long needle, nine inches in length, had pierced him in the neck…

* * *

When Quistis opened her eyes, the devastation in front of her nearly caused her to lose a hold on her blue-spell. But she held on to it – she had worked far too hard to accidentally release it.

Her eyes scanned the field. There were deep furrows that went down to the steel foundation of the training center. Scorch marks ravaged the ground and thousands of burnt pieces of…feathers?..dusted the ground like so much trash.

Where were Zell and Naruto? Turning her head, she spotted them and her eyes widened at the sight – and then released her blue.

A snap crackled the air in front of her and then a tiny blue rip in space rent the air. It began to twist and twirl, becoming a vortex. It was a gateway to her soul, the chamber of her mind where all guardian forces reside. And it was a dangerous technique in that not only was she rooted to the ground until she dismissed the blue magic, but sometimes unwanted things would make their way in…

But there was no time for that. Naruto was stepping towards a fallen and injured Zell, and he somehow seemed different. That horrible red_chakra_, of some unknown entity that was absorbing Ifrit…it seemed to have strengthened somehow.

She grimaced. Zell was a gifted cadet, and though his magical and paramagical abilities were lacking, with the right training and experience he would grow into one of the finest SeeD's of Balamb Garden. And then, how had he been injured so when Zell even had Quetzalcoatl junctioned to him? And in a mere fifteen minutes?

And that was when Quistis realized with a quick intake of breath that those feathers that littered the ground were of the Guardian Force's. And that Quetzalcoatl, the Storm Herald, had been defeated by Naruto…or whatever it was that he had become.

The vortex's growth completed and it snapped open, spinning at a rate that Quistis knew to be of over three million rotations per second. Naruto stopped in mid-step, and Quistis could see the energy of Ifrit beginning to flow out of him. It was a weak, pale energy. Ifrit was near death, and probably with another ten, fifteen minutes; the Guardian force would have been distinguished completely. And to her continued shock, an even weaker trickle of golden energy came from Zell. The physical avatar of Quetzalcoatl must have been destroyed completely for something like that to happen!

The energy from Zell soon stopped its flux, and Quistis could feel the damaged aspect of Quetzalcoatl enter her mind. It would take at least a half a month for the guardian force to recover.

But, streams of energy continued to gush from Naruto. Quistis was puzzled. Something must be blocking Ifrit, something impeding his movement. But the blue magic was irresistible, and sooner or later the entire essence of Ifrit would leave Naruto and enter her.

* * *

Something was happening.

Naruto had been waiting outside those steel bars for a signal, for even the smallest sign! Anything! He had tried to make out the sounds from within the cage, but nothing but echoes of a great battle reached him, and he was left as clueless as ever. This was the first time he had been trapped for so long within himself…without knowing where to go, or what was happening, or if Quistis or Zell were somehow in danger because of him.

And then, the red mist began rise from the ground, and it gained a movement of its own, a form of something that seemed like sentience as it swelled and began gushing out. Not the kyuubi's _chakra_, Naruto noted. It was a lighter, ruby red that was extricating itself from the deep sanguine of the Kyuubi's.

It started slowly, within the mist only in the room escaping. And then, a minute later, a torrent of so much mist burst from the cage that Naruto had to brace or be knocked down like a tiny tree in the face of a hurricane and nearly gagged at the foul odor that came before covering his face.

He looked up, through the blinding red haze that was akin to a crimson sandstorm, and he saw that sections of the gate were disappearing. And they weren't coming back like before. Portions of that impenetrable steel gate were evaporating as if it had never been there, and deep from within the steel cage, a savage sound like drums rushed past him and was forced to squint his eyes as the storm increased in power. He saw from the corner of his eye something that resembled Ifrit, but torn and tattered and broken, rush past him.

And then, the storm faded, the wind died, and there was silence.

But from that silence came a throaty chuckle like claws on a chalkboard, one that brought to mind dark images of people being flattened and forest sized conflagrations. Naruto recognized that voice that so brimmed with malice and thoughts of destruction.

It was the Kyuubi.

* * *

Quistis closed the portal. It was simple She merely waved her hand and the vortex snapped shut before disappearing. She was right. Ifrit had eventually come to her call, and whatever it was that had blocked him hadn't stopped the guardian force from leaving Naruto. Now, she sensed the two spirits within her resting and partaking of her strong magic.

Naruto was lying in a heap on the floor. For some reason, the red _chakra_ hadn't dissipated, yet, but she would worry about that later. There was a more important matter to tend to first. She ran over to Zell's side, and with a physician touch calmly stripped him of his cloth. He looked visibly relieved as Quistis cast a Full-Cure on him, one of the two she had in her arsenal. The powerful restoration spell mended his wounds and she winced as she heard various bones readjust. But some wounds didn't fully heal. There were dark red welts and patches of skin that were criss-crossed with red lines.

"What is this…?" She asked, peering closer to taking a look.

"Bleh." Zell muttered back. He was fully exhausted and it would take him a full day of rest and several platters of hot dogs before he felt like participating in any fighting at all, SeeD exam or not. "It was that red energy that surrounded Naruto." He grumbled. "Little bugger is tougher than thought he'd be. I wasn't planning on bringing out Quetz, but that red energy…it can eat away at spells and Naruto was at a fighting level nearly up to me, not to mention that I couldn't really touch him with anything I had…I tried to heal myself, but this red stuff eats away at healing magic too."

"And what happened to Quetzalcoatl?" Quistis asked.

"I don't really know. I summoned him because I was taking a chance that Quetz might just knock Naruto out without really hurting him, you know? Because that energy protects against spells and even blunts physical damage. I didn't have enough para-magical energy gathered to use my limit-break yet, so I summoned him, and then, when I came back Quetz was gone and Naruto was under me and…" Zell moaned as the memory of hitting that blackened red _chakra_ shield came careening back to him. "Well, to say the least, it REALLY REALLY REALLY hurt."

Quistis sighed. "Perhaps it was unwise to junction Naruto so soon. Especially when it seems like he's keeping certain…secrets…from us."

Zell looked her in the eyes and dead-panned, "_Ya' think."_

She laughed. "Are you okay to move or should I call in the medics?"

"No need." Zell took a deep breath and flipped upwards. When he landed on his feet he took a sharp-intake of breath and felt the back of his spine. "Oh. That's going to hurt in the morning."

"Would you like me to request another mission time for you then? I'm sure Headmaster Cid would agree that the circumstances are unusual, to say the least." Quistis asked.

"Nah. I just need a bath and a bed and I'll be good as new tomorrow! That was a full-cure after all! I'm feeling practically good as new!" Zell smiled and began to shadow-box before he strained something then moaned. "Or not. Um. Quistis?"

"Yes?" She answered, still peering at the distinct wounds on his chest.

"You got Ifrit right?"

"Of course." Quistis mumbled. She poked the injury and Zell winced.

"Then why is Naruto still like that?" Zell asked with apprehension in his voice. "Is it supposed to stop?"

Quistis turned around, and she saw that the red _chakra_ around Naruto had deepened once again. This time it began to become more solid, more tangible, more opaque, and Quistis could hardly make out his face beneath the swirling red energy about him. Behind him, extending into the air, were three tails of flowing crimson _chakra_. Naruto opened his mouth, and Quistis could see two long canine teeth curve down from his upper lip and something red and spherical developing between his jaws... -

"**Blizzaga!"**

A burst of mighty ice magic came hurtling from Quistis just as Naruto fired an enormous fireball. The dual forces of nature collided and wrestled with each other in a fiery battle. Quistis gasped. Her spell gave way and burst into shards as the fireball continued at them, considerably decreased in size but still large enough that preferred not to try stopping it with her hand, and since Zell didn't have a guardian force, he couldn't either. She grabbed Zell's shoulder and was about to tell him to run, before Zell raised up his hand and let loose.

"**Blizzard!"**

Another ice spell, weaker than Quistis's in both size and power by far, shot from Zell and plowed into the fireball before shattering. The flame shrunk again, and Quistis stopped. When it came close enough she reached out and cuffed the missile to the side where it hit the edge of the barrier surrounding the dome and dissipated.

"You can cast spells without a guardian force?" Quistis asked.

"Just first-level spells. And that was the first time in actual combat." He grinned.

"Well thanks. And, we're getting out of here." Quistis said, then took hold of Zell's shoulder and pushed towards the edge of the containment barrier. They were already close to the edge, so in a few steps they stepped through without obtrusion. Behind them, Naruto pounced at them, and Quistis and Zell both turned and took up a defensive stance, ready to blast Naruto with another wave of magic. But the ninja crashed into the shield and went rebounding back, smoking. The containment field flared for a brief moment as it channeled enough energy to hold back Naruto.

"Good, I thought that would work." Quistis nodded, more to affirm to herself that it would hold than anything else.

"_Whoa_!" Zell breathed out. "Naruto crossed the recognization threshold for quasi-magical beings?!"

"Seems like it. I suspected as much. The containment field isn't barring Naruto from leaving. Rather it's identifying that red energy and holding that back…but even I don't know how long it will last. I'm going to enlist a SeeD squadron to come down here and immobilize Naruto. Cid's personal squadron of course. I don't want this spilling out to the instructors…"

"What about me?" Zell pointed to himself and put on a plaintive doe-eyed look.

"Yes, Zell, you can go rest - " Quistis began, and then everything tumbled into chaos as the artificial lighting of the Training center shut down and plunged them into darkness. A brief moment passed, and then the emergency back-up generator came to life and the training center was filled with a parody of the light that used to be there. Just enough for cadets and SeeDs to make their way back out of the training center without getting lost…

"What's going on!?" Zell cried out, looking around like a frazzled puppy.

"I don't know. Stop moving! I need to think!" Quistis bit her lip. The Balamb Garden generator was maintained by a panel of technicians. To her knowledge, it had only ever gone down once, and that was over ten years ago before the Oversight Panel for Protection and Maintenance of Energy was established to safeguard the generator. But it wasn't that which Quistis was worrying about, it was the silent hum that signaled the deactivation of the containment field…

The Garden interface speaker crackled to life, and the gentle voice of Headmaster Cid spoke. His voice was calm, and like usual, instilled a measure of safety and confidence in those who knew him, but the words were far, far from comforting.

"**Attention all faculty, cadets, SeeD, and visitors. There is an emergency in Balamb Garden. Code Omega-six-six. I repeat, Code Omega-six-six." **

The speaker went silent for a moment as Cid covered the mic and seemed to be arguing with someone in the background.

"Code Omega-six-six." Zell asked out loud. What was that for? He had never really memorized all the various school codes. He nearly squealed out when Quistis fingernails bit into his shoulder. "Hey, watch it!"

Quistis shook her head and released him. "Oh, sorry Zell…Code Omega-six-six, it's the first time I've heard it…It means that Balamb Garden is under a level-two invasion. I think. A level two-invasion. Not a full-scale invasion, but this isn't good anyway it goes."

"Wha-! Why now! Who would attack a Garden! We have alliances and non-aggression treaties with every major nation!" Zell muttered in disbelief.

"I don't know. I honestly, don't know. Let's wait for Cid to continue." Quistis suggested. Zell nodded.

When Headmaster Cid's voice came back on the speaker, he was considerably more agitated, and it showed in his voice, though he tried not to.

"**All SeeD's and cadet's above fifth level are to report to the main hall. Effective immediately." **

"**All faculty and visitors are to take shelter in classrooms or the dorms. Cadets below fifth level are to escort faculty and visitors to safety and safeguard them as the proper authorities deal with the situation at hand. Under no circumstances should anyone without fighting capabilities enter the library, cafeteria, main hall, any of the auditoriums, or to exit into the immediate surroundings of Balamb Garden unless instructed otherwise. I repeat; those without fighting capabilities are not to enter any **_**wide, open spaces**_**. Once again, all SeeD's and cadets above fifth level are to immediately report to the main hall."**

The instructions were repeated several times. There was a click, and the interface closed down.

"What now?" Zell asked.

Quistis tapped her feet against the ground. "Zell, I want you to look for Squall, and if possible, Seifer, and bring them both here. They're both level-seven cadets, so they should be in the Main Hall."

"And you?" Zell asked, but he knew what she would say before her lips parted. "You're staying here aren't you?"

"Yes. The barrier dome has collapsed, and the back-up generator doesn't have enough power to reactivate it to any extent. I'll stay here and make sure Naruto doesn't escape the Training Hall." Seeing the look of worry on Zell's baby-boy face, she sighed. "Don't worry, I'm a SeeD, Zell, I know what I'm doing."

"But…"

"Just go! You're wasting time!" Quistis rebuked.

With one last glance backwards, Zell stumbled through the canopy and began running towards the exit.

* * *

Fire. Burning. Heat.

To Naruto, those were the only sensations that existed in his world. He was in the midst of an inferno. A flame that could be neither extinguished nor lessened. It burned without end, did not need sustenance, but still turned everything in its path to smoldering ash. It did not discriminate. It ate everything.

Indescribable pain racked his body as he was lifted into the air. These flames controlled him, holding him, shackling him better than any man-made cuffs ever could. It was an unnatural fire that moaned with hate as heavy as guilt and _chakra_ dark as sin.

At the edge of his perception where he was able to gather the barest of thoughts, he could see the flickering iron poles that were the Kyuubi's prison slowly fading, and hear heavy footsteps reverberating, coming ever closer. One step at a time.

_Thump…thump…thump…_

And he knew, without a doubt, that when those footsteps where at his doorstep, he would be devoured.

Devoured by the Kyuubi.

* * *

Quistis turned just as Zell left the clearing, disappearing into the trees. For a brief moment, knowing that she was alone, all reason left her.

What would she do? What should she do? What_ could _she do? Years of SeeD training and months of being an Instructor kicked in like a rocket engine and she shook her head, tussled blond hair flying haphazardly in all directions. This was no time to hesitate.

She turned her attention back to Naruto. The ninja boy was now rolling around on the ground wildly, in pain, as if he were being burnt alive and was futilely trying to flatten the flames. He pulled at his clothes with abandon, and ripped off his clothes, tossing the singed garments out.

_What had happened_? She wondered. _What had gone wrong?_ Ifrit had been un-junctioned, but Naruto still leaked that energy. Was that Ifrit's energy?

But something was off. She cast a small scan and focused on the energy, sorting through it with a scholar's eyes, and blinked.

No. It wasn't Ifrit's power. It was similar; there were fire-inherent properties, but she could feel that this was fundamentally different. It was as if the energy could sense her, as if it were living being in and of itself. Normally when viewed through a energy sensing magic such as scan, energy formed a cloud around a person as the body naturally radiated tiny increments at all times. But this energy undulated with a rhythm that belied a cunning intelligence. It was as if it was a being…a powerful one, and she sensed, a malevolent one.

It was possible of course…she knew that Guardian Forces were sentient bodies of physical magic, and some had dangerous personalities, but she had never heard or seen any case of a Guardian Force taking over a host. Junctioning could occur if a Guardian Force was attached to a human, but even then that was only a shadow of its true power, as the Guardian Force merely gave away some of its vast energy to its host and could be summoned in times of need. Anything more would destroy the host, as normal human bodies were incapable of fully absorbing the amount of power that a Guardian Force contained. Even Trabia Garden had barely delved into this topic of research…

Her eyes widened. Was _this_ what Ifrit warned about back during the exam? Was _this_ the reason for his aggression?

As if on cue, Naruto's back snapped up like an arch, and he let loose a blood curdling scream. A veal of dark flame crept over his eyes. Crimson orbs caught Quistis' and she stepped back and nearly tripped on her heels.

A SeeD was schooled in several subjects. Chief among them and the ones most emphasized were combat strategy, psychology, diplomacy, magic theorem, spy tactics, hand-to-hand combat, and weapons training. They were taught to analyze a situation and act accordingly. Fear could save you, but overwhelming fear was dangerous; it clouded judgment and made the mind hazy. It had been the first emotion that a SeeD was taught to suppress.

Looking at those blood-shot eyes that narrowed at her, she understood that all that, but her knees still shook. This feeling couldn't fade. Those eyes that seemed as if they would drag her into perdition. She laughed and steadied herself. Was _she_ scared of Naruto? She, who had been the youngest in Garden history to achieve the status of SeeD? She, who had participated in dozens of missions and faced down even more monsters?

Reasoning and sense had left Naruto, and all that was left was mere bloodlust and rage. No more bargaining, no persuasion, only the siren call of battle.

In one smooth movement she withdrew her whip. The dragon-leather weapon slithered on the ground in anticipation. She knew from years of participating in life or death SeeD missions that all lessons became irrelevant in battle.

There was nothing but survival, and the mission.

But what was her mission now? To protect Naruto? From what? From _himself_?

How to do that? How to tame a beast whose mere touch could incinerate you? Knock him out? Incapacitate him?

She needed an idea, and she needed it soon.

Because with a roar Naruto's eyes dilated once more, and he leapt towards her, claws extended.

* * *

Zell sped towards the exit, cutting through shrub and trees with lightning speed. A minute later, he saw the light of the exit and game himself another boost.

Just as he burst through the exit gates, he nearly missed the group of cadets before the Training Center entrance, before digging his heels into hallway carpet. The force of the stop snapped him forwards and sent him tumbling flat on his face but luckily avoiding the surprised cadets.

"Ugh…" Zell moaned, his face flushed with pink from the embarrassment, and held out his arm. "Can I get some help here?"

One of the cadets stepped forwards. He wore casual clothes that were covered in sulphorous green muck. Short brown hair framed a pair of wary eyes. He took Zell's hand and pulled him to his feet.

"Who are you?" The man asked.

"Zell Dincht. Cadet no. 41084. Rank six." Zell held out his hand and the other man shook it. "What's the situation?"

"Nida. Rank three." Nida said, deferring to the higher ranked Cadet, and waved towards the other cadets that huddled behind him. Zell saw that they were children and a few teenagers. There were probably some that hadn't even taken up a weapon before. "Everyone else here is rank zero. They were in the library studying when the alarm went off. I'm escorting them to the dorms, where the other cadets are."

Zell plugged his nose. "Why are you covered in goo?"

Nida grimaced and held up his hands in mock disgust. "Grats. Too many too count."

"Grats?" Zell echoed, furrowing his eyebrows. "What are Grats doing outside of the Training Center?" Grats were supposed to be contained in the training center. Even if they wanted to get out, there was only one exit, and there was also the energy shield…well, he thought, remembering the flashing red lights in the Training Center, no more energy shield, but still…

"Someone's disabled the defenses that keep the Grats in. It was probably a mole. Not only that, but they've also managed to plant explosive devices around Garden. The Training Center has more holes than Swiss cheese right now." Nida pointed at the green muck on his chest. "I ran into some Grats on the way from the library as I was escorting these cadets to the Safe Zone. Unfortunately, rank zero cadets aren't trained in combat yet, and I didn't have my weapons with me so I had to use hand-to-hand."

"Ah." Zell said. Well, that explained the stench of rotten eggs. It had been a good year of two since Zell had been splattered by Grat blood, thinking back, it had been around the time he had acquired Quetzalcoatl and the use of magic abilities. Grats were monsters that were a hybrid a flower bulb and Venus flytraps, and were larger than a mastiff. Only requiring water, some minerals, and sunlight, the creatures were the perfect training tool for beginning Cadets. The abominations walked by using some of its dozen tentacles as feet. They were fairly easy; the creatures were bred to have no teeth or claws. The stalks could hurt, but they were individually were considered a joke by SeeD soldiers. But it was different when they were in groups. Grat vines had paralyzing properties, and a cadet could quickly be overwhelmed if number didn't favor them. Not only that, but they had the disgusting tendency to explode in a shower of slimy decay after dying. Zell always thought that it was the Grat giving a last 'fuck you' before dying. It was one of the few aspects that hadn't yet been successfully bred out of the original specimens, and there were few ways to prevent it from exploding.

A well-aimed thundara could bring one down and neutralize the inbuilt explode-after-death instinct that Grat's had.

"Are there any enemy units?"

"No. That's what's strange. You'd think for all this there would be an army or something headed our way…but there's nothing. Nothing yet, at least."

"Anyways, I have to get going. They need reinforcements at the infirmary from the Grats. Those things can't resist the scent of the injured after all."

"Alright, cadet." Zell gave Nida a clap on the shoulder, then grunted in dismay as his palm came back sticky with ooze. Just as he was about to turn away, Zell remembered what he was here for, and turned back, and called out for Nida, barely catching the man as he was escorting the group of kids down the corridor.

"Yes?"

"Have you seen Squall? Squall Leonheart. You might not know him but he has brown hair. A scar down one side of the face. Kinda moody. Likes leather." Zell sucked in his cheeks and tried his best imitation of Squall scowling in his usual leaned back pose. The result was not pretty, and of the younger cadets giggled. He sighed. Maybe it just wasn't something he could do.

"Squall?" Nida repeated, turning his head up for a moment. "I know Leonheart. He bumped into me at the library. He was a level six cadet?"

"Seven." Zell clarified.

"Ah. I remember. I think he was headed for the cafeteria. There was something big going on down there that they needed more support. I was ordered not to go since I'm only rank three, but Squall might be there. But watch out, hall leading to the cafeteria is infested with Grats right now. You'd want to pass through a different route to reach there, or it would take you hours to get through all those beasts."

Zell grinned, and began running down the opposite corridor. "Thanks a bunch, Nida!"

"You're welcome." Nida said, then disappeared down the hallway, kids in tow.

* * *

The cafeteria was ruined. Scorch marks and broken tables and chairs were strewn about like so much wind blown trash trash. Worse than that though, was the smelly goo that covered every other inch of the once pristine lunch-room. Three dozen Cadets and half the number of SeeD were clearing the cafeteria of Grats and other small beasts that had escaped from the Training Center and had been lured by the smell of fresh food. Most of the Cadets and SeeD had been busy leading the guests that had been in the cafeteria and those that couldn't fight away; some back to the dormitories, some to the infirmary, and some back Balamb city.

Among those cadets that still remained in the cafeteria were two gunblade wielders.

Squall cut forwards with his gunblade held horizontal to the floor. One. Two. _Three_! He hopped forwards as a green blur whistled underneath him, then somersaulted in the air. A forest of hungry vine tentacles splattered below. He landed right behind the three Grats, swiveled around, and his blade passed through the Grats at once.

The creatures paused for a moment, stunned. Then the top half of their bulbous bodies slowly slid to the floor in a pile of dewy ooze. Besides him, a man with slicked back white-blonde hair smirked. He wore a gray trench coat with a crimson cross etched on the back, carried a gunblade that was dangled lazily from one gloved hand. He had cruel, taunting eyes that were sparkled like shards of ice. A fresh scar, faded by magic, ran down the side of his face, opposite the side on which Squall had his.

"Squally-boy." He began, waving his index finger perniciously. "That took you longer than expected." The man laughed. Behind him were the corpses of a dozen Grats, slain in a more wild fashion, but with similar results.

Squall turned. "Seifer!"

Seifer sighed, and lifted his hand. A tentacle slapped around his wrist, and he grasped it. Digging his feet into the floor, Seifer leaned back and pulled. The tentacle, along with the Grat attached to it, came soaring forwards.

"**Thundara!"** Seifer bellowed, and a bolt of hot, white lightning shuttered forth from his palm, smashing the Grat away, the force snapping the tentacle like a taut rope. The Grat at the end continued until it smashed into the wall, and sticky juices sprayed a nearby Cadet who was fending off another Grat with a pair of daggers.

Seifer laughed.

"Now_that's_ funny." He commented.

"…Humorous. I'm sure." Squall muttered, seeing that some of the Grat juices had partially blinded the Cadet. He held up one hand, muttered a word, and another lance of lightning shot out, spearing the Grat the Cadet was fighting. Seeing that the Grat had been disabled, the Cadet began wiping as much of the smelly juices off his face, while glaring at Seifer.

"That's most of the Grats in the cafeteria." Seifer said, looking around the cafeteria. There were still a few battles about, but nothing that Balamb Garden trained Cadets or SeeD couldn't handle. "Now, what was it you wanted to say?"

Squall bit his lip. He hated asking for favors, especially from Seifer._Especially_from Seifer. "Something's happening to Quistis."

"Why don't you go alone then? I swear to Hyne if you expect me to change your diaper or some shit, I'm not going to."

Squall grit his teeth. This man was infuriating! There was no way that he was going to admit that he might need some help. The idiot would hang it over his head for the rest of his life! And beyond that!

Seifer paused for a minute, and then grunted. He knew that Squall wasn't one for words. It was better to fill those words in for him. "And you think this has something to do with Quistis?" Seifer said, motioning to the remains of the Grats around him.

"Yes." Squall replied.

Seifer's eye twitched. "That's nice. Well, Squally-boy, if you're not going say anything more, I think I'll be headed for the terrace where the SeeD and T-Rexaur are." As he was turning, Squall's voice stopped him. He smirked. Squall was too predictable.

"The young boy that was brought here a few days ago."

Seifer rubbed his chin. The little blonde boy? He knew that he was here, of course. He was the leader of the disciplinary committee after all, and nothing that happened in Garden escaped his notice, but he had been busy with other matters to give the kid an interrogation welcome ceremony…

"What's he got to do with anything?"

"He's…special. During the field exam, he displayed a range of blue-level abilities I haven't seen before." Squall continued, explaining what happened at the Ifrit's cavern, and how Naruto had turned into a clone and had used some paramagical melee attack to defeat the Guardian force. As he was spoke, Seifer listened intently, tapping a shoe on the cafeteria floor.

"...I guess you can call it a hunch." Squall finished at last. He looked up at Seifer, who was looking down at him with a mixture of hestition and barely accepting belief.

"So you want to go on a ghost chase for a hunch? That's not like you at all, Squally." Seifer smirked. It was very unlike the chilly Cadet at all. Squall was a very methodical man, Seifer knew, and it reflected in every aspect of his life, to the way he organized to the way he spoke to the way he fought, he was definitely a type-A personality. Of course, that meant that Squall really did think something was happening, and if so…

Squall spoke again, noticing Seifer's hesitation. "It won't be a goose chase. I know where they are."

Seifer perked up. "Where are they?"

"The Training Center. Zell told me today he was training with his new roommate. I suspect, Naruto."

"Zell? That chicken wuss? This kid must be nothing great if he's training with _Zell_." Seifer laughed. "All he cares about is hot dogs and manga. But," Seifer said, "It won't be much trouble to go with you."

Squall turned back and shouldered his gunblade. "Let's go."

Seifer scowled. Fucking prick. "Lead the way." He said.

Then the ground shook, tossing the two to a heap in the floor, and T-Rexaur broke through the windows of the cafeteria, closely followed by a Ruby Dragon.

The infirmary was in chaos. Not from fighting, because it would take more than some monsters to get through the twenty SeeD that had assigned to guard the infirmary, but instead the heavy influx of wounded.

Cadets and SeeD that had been paralyzed by the Grat poison and had no antidotes on hand were being sent in by the handful, and the ones that were in more dangerous situation, being mauled by T-Rexaur or a Ruby dragon, had to be treated with curative magic immediately.

This of course was children's play for Dr. Kadowaki, who had made her name famous by operating during the Galbadian-Esther conflict so many years, except that it was compounded by the fact that there were hundreds of Cadets and guests of Garden that were shoved in the infirmary with her. Nurses and other doctors shuffled around tending to the wounded. She could barely make a step without pushing into someone else!

"Move aside!" Dr. Kadowaki screamed at last, and bullied the Cadets in front of her to run away. She reached down and looked at the newest patient. Reaching down, she lifted up the Cadets shirt, exposing a brutal wound that had sliced through tendons and muscles. She would need to heal this quickly. And a mere potion wouldn't work either. Damn the Garden medical budget! She had exhausted all the hi-potions earlier this week and a new shipment wouldn't arrive until tomorrow! She would need magic for this. Now. The longer wounds like this lasted, or were exposed to bacteria, the harder it was for weaker magic to heal it.

"Xu! I need you for a moment?" Dr. Kadowaki called out. A young girl with long brown hair and almond eyes extracted herself from the SeeD force and came to Kadowaki's side.

"Yes?"

"What's your curative magic stock right now?" She asked.

Xu closed her eyes for a moment, and assessed the magic within her. "Fifteen cures, five cura's, and two curaga's. I also have three regeneration magic spells and a single resurrection spell if you need it."

"No full-heals?"

"No."

"Very well. Cast a curaga on this man here, then cast a regen." Kadowaki instructed. Xu complied, and a pearly white light tinged with green spun into the man, searching for injuries. Flesh knit together as the vicious wound closed. Then another shock of green tinged magic faded into the wound, and the color began to slowly turn from black.

"Thank you. Now, come closer." Kadowaki ordered. Xu stepped forward. "You're the assistant to headmaster Cid, aren't you? I want you to tell me what this wound came from.

Xu peered at the wound. It was healing, but she had been trained to be a field medical SeeD, and she could tell that whatever inflicted the cut, and it was a cut, was a long weapon, most likely a sword. It had cleanly severed the skin and flesh in one sweeping stroke.

"Do you see?"

She grimaced. "As I thought. Hey," She called out. "Where did this man come from?"

A Cadet rose up. "He was from the energy security division, ma'am. He was found injured as the sector was being evacuated from the explosion."

Xu nodded in thanks and the Cadet sat back down. "I see now. That's how the energy supply was deactivated. There is a mole after all. And as he was escaping, this SeeD caught him, but he managed to escape by wounding him. I'll have to inform the headmaster of this later. Improvements to security need to be made."

Dr. Kadowaki sighed as another man stumbled in with a Grat tentacle wrapped around his neck, and motioned the man to stand in line where one of her assistants could help him. She looked to Xu again. "But what could they want?"

"They aren't an attack force or army for sure. Just some Ruby Dragons and espionage won't bring down Balamb Garden. They sure chose a helluva time though." Xu commented. It was a smart choice to attack during the daytime when so many SeeD were away on missions, especially now that there was a conflict in the Dollet Kingdom.

"Cid talked to me about this before I came here. He thinks that it's a distraction, but he wouldn't elaborate."

"Distraction?" Kadowaki echoed.

"Think about it. Why else waste so much effort planning an attack on Garden when it will ultimately have no effect. There haven't been any reported deaths. No, whoever did this wants something, and they're probably in Garden at this moment."

"What could they want?"

"…Tell me, Dr. Kadowaki, has anything happened recently?" Xu asked.

"Now that you mention it…" Dr. Kadowaki muttered, "There are those two boys that were recovered…"

Xu nodded. She had seen one of the boys earlier today in the cafeteria while it was breakfast. Blond and jumpy, she had wondered what he was doing here at Garden. However, it was the Headmasters orders that brought him here, and she knew better than to interfere with Cid's business. But wait; there was only one boy she had seen, where was the other one…?

"What about the second boy. Where's the other one?" She asked at last, turning to face Kadowaki.

"Neji? He should be in his room. I've kept it locked because Cid asked me to, but I can bring you to him if you want to see."

"Yes. Please bring me."

Kadowaki sighed and led Xu to the room, pushing her way through Cadets and SeeD alike to make a path. "He's in a magic-induced coma right now, so I can't estimate when he'll wake up. Once his body has purged the contaminent from his body, he should wake soon after. When, I do not know." She turned one last time, until she came to the end of the infirmary hall.

"He should be in here." She said as she pulled out a card from her vest pocket and slid it through the sensor. The door slid open with a_fwoosh_and the two stepped through.

And on the bed, where Neji was supposed to be, was nothing but a pillow and blanket. And to the side of the room where the sunlight had streamed in, was a billowing curtain and a shattered window. Glass shards littered the floor _inside_ of the room. Someone had broken in.

* * *

"**Blizzaga!"**

Quistis held her arms together and wave of swirling frost erupted from her hands. The cold could freeze monsters and humans alike, but it merely brushed against the red blue of chakra that was Naruto, and sloughed off like water on oil.

He lunged for her.

_Shit!_

Quistis stepped backwards and extended her whip. With a flick of hands, the leather whip flashed outwards and wrapped around Naruto's waist. Using Naruto's force and herself as a center, she grasped the whip with both hands and flung Naruto like a blazing comet.

He crashed in the floor away from her, before effortlessly rebounding.

Quistis felt a drop of sweat roll down her cheek. It had only been around ten minutes, but in that short time she had learnt everything she had needed to. Ice, Lightning, Fire, Water, dozens of spells and none of these were effective. Not just elemental magic, but status spell, time magic, residual magic, nothing worked, or rather, it was unable to penetrate the crimson aura of chakra. She glanced at the ground and saw that her whip had been eaten away by the chakra._ Gah! _And there went her favorite whip.

She smiled. This wasn't over yet. Brown sparks of energy crackled in the palms of her hand and raced up her body like a lightning rod in a thunder storm. Even if pure elemental magic wouldn't work, it was only one of the several types.

Naruto raced forward again, his body straining to catch her.

Quistis pointed her hand at the floor and a stream of earth-colored energy shot into the floor. It was silent for a moment, then an outcry as Naruto's feet slipped into the liquid ground. He clawed at the ground, but the more he moved the more the mud sucked him in. Another second and he was waste deep. Then the ground solidified.

Naruto scowled and drops of chakra fell onto the ground with a sizzling sound. He raised his arm, as if reaching into the air.

Quistis stepped back cautiously. _What was he doing now?_

She fell into a coughing fit and nearly tripped on a rock as she was walked backwards. She smiled dazedly. It seemed the use of so much magic was taking its toll in such a short amount of time. _Mental note to self: Magic Stamina needs to be trained. _

Her eye's shot open. Naruto threw down his arm and red chakra in the shape of a claw flew from his body.

It nearly caught Quistis, but entangled around her raised reflect spell. She held her arms out, and the magic sizzled as the chakra ate away at the shimmering blue shell.

With visible effort, Quistis pushed her arms out and spoke a single word. The reflect shield dissipated and the energy imploded, sending the red chakra backwards. In that time, Quistis twisted and flipped herself into the air.

"**Thundaga!"** A lance of pure gold thrust from her hand at Naruto three times. The streaks of light collided with him in an explosion of fireworks. He scowled and shrug the magic off like a fleabite.

The claw reached out again and grasped the base of a giant tree. Then, with a roar, the floor shook and Naruto pulled out from the ground, and came soaring out the ground.

Quistis gasped. She wouldn't be able to dodge in time! It would be a direct collision! She held her arms out and cast a series of spells. Green, white, and blue threads of light burst from her body. Her blue wrapped around her in a glistening halo.

They collided.

* * *

Squall pushed Seifer away just as the T-Rexaur stampeded over them, frothing at the jaws. Its tiny eyes were dilated, and it snapped its rows of teeth like a chattering rat. The ruby dragon was smaller. Rather than the gravity-bound T-Rexaur, the ruby dragon was a long, serpentine creature with powerful forearms and a set of wings that allowed it to fly for short periods of time.

Using those wings, it flung itself upwards and onto the T-Rexaurs back, and latched onto the creatures neck with it's maw. The two mammoth beasts tussled some more as SeeD and Cadets looked on in shock and awe. They crashed into the stands and rolled into a column, breaking it.

Then without warning, a pair of ruby dragon crashed into the cafeteria from above. Mammoth wings crumpled as the beasts leapt onto the T-Rexaur.

A tail lashed out and caught a cadet in the stomach. Bones cracked, and the man flew backwards. A SeeD sprung upwards and caught him just before he hit the wall.

The other SeeD began to distance themselves. Some drew weapons, and others let magical energy pool in their hands. They couldn't let these beasts fight in Garden any longer. The damage was severe enough that even in just the cafeteria it possibly the infrastructure.

"Well look what Hyne sent us…" Seifer whispered. He watched with muted delight as the ruby dragons tore ribbons of flesh from the T-Rexaur. "We'll need to help clear this up before we can go, Squall."

Squall glanced around the cafeteria. Most of the SeeD members were injured; and Squall doubted even if a platoon of cadets could handle something like this. And of everyone here he was the only was who was junctioned with a guardian force. "You go. I'll stay."

Seifer scowled. "If you think I'm a fucking pussy and can't handle a few dragons, then you'd better-"

"I don't. I just…feel...uneasy about this." Squall said as he looked down and swung his gunblade a few times. He cast a protect on himself and a thin green bubble encapsulated him. "Just go, Seifer."

Seifer frowned. _What's up with these hunches anyways? Little bitch_. He would much rather stay, but he had a feeling too…that whoever was doing this was going to be where Quistis was. He smirked his trademark devlish grin. There would be honor and rewards galore if he caught whoever did this. Probably even a promotion to SeeD! Well, fine then, if Squall insisted so much, then he'd go.

Seifer turned, and vanished.

* * *

The passageway was one of Garden's many secrets, one of the dozens, if not hundreds, of unmapped entrances when the Balamb Garden was created by transferring one of the relics of the ancient civilization.

Dank, dark, illuminated only by traces of light that streamed the cracks in the concrete wall, it smelled of old moss, and constantly had an annoying drip sound in the background, it traced from just near the entrance of the Training center. The route entered through a small vent in one of the janitor's closet and into the lower levels cutting directly to the cafeteria where it exited out into the open courtyard. Only a bare few, two or three students at most that had been either brave or bored enough, knew the route; it was a good destination to hide when one was skipping class, and students never wanted to share there little secrets.

Zell raced through, as fast as he could, his knees nearly giving out from the strain he was placing on them. Out of magic, out of stamina, nearly out of willpower, that last thing that he wanted to do was encounter a Grat and be paralyzed. No, it was safest if he took this route that he had used for so many years to run away from Seifer and his self-appointed goons.

To his surprise, in the dark he bumped into someone. It was like hitting a solid wall, and Zell was knocked backwards as the wind escaped him. He scrabbled to onto his feet, wondering if a Grat or something worse had managed to make its way down here.

Zell saw two silhouettes, one tall and one short, and recognized them as generally human "Holy shit!" Zell gasped. He laughed in relief. Nope, not Grats. "You two scared the daylights of me. You almost gave me a heart attack!"

The tall man stepped forward. A beam of light scattered upon his face, tracing the contours of two narrow eyes that gazed down on him with emotion akin to apathy. He had ashen skin the color of a shark that had forsaken the light, and loose bandages concealed the lower half of his face like a shawl. Zell's eyes caught on a something large that extended from the back. It was the spark of light reflecting on metal. A sword. He realized with a gulp. A big sword.

This wasn't anyone from Garden, or from Balamb City.

"….You…" Zell whispered, taking small steps backwards. There was something about this man, something primal and indescribable that triggered an instinct to flee. "Who are you…?" Zell grinned nervously.

The man was silent for a moment as he scrutinized Zell.

He spoke. "Haku."

The other man stepped forwards and Zell saw that the man wasn't really a man, but rather a young boy, or…was it a girl, in a loose robe that fell down from the shoulders and was bunched at the knees. His hair was tied backwards into a bun, held it in place by two thin needles.

"Yes, Zabuza-san?" The boy, Haku, asked.

"This boy." Zell's eye's twitched at the word boy. He. Was. Not. A. Boy! "Can you sense it?"

Haku nodded. "Yes. The presence of the Kyuubi is strong. Recent. He might know where he is."

Zell blinked, then gasped as a flash from the corner of his eyes caught him by the collar.

"W-wait! Hey!"

Zabuza held him up with a single arm and shoved him into the nearby wall. Zell bucked, but his arms felt heavy as lead and his weak kicks felt as if they were striking orihalcon.

"W-what do you want?!" Zell coughed and managed to articulate a few words through the chocobos and stars that were passing by his vision like a merry go round. "You can't strike a cadet! This is a heavy offense ya' know!"

"Boy." Zabuza ordered, catching Zell's frantic gaze, and suddenly he was quiet. "Tell me where the Kyuubi is."

Zell appeared perplexed. "Kyuu…bi?" He echoed.

"The nine-tailed demon. Where is it? Where is the boy?" The man asked again. His arm pushed forward and Zell hit the back of the wall again much harder. He winced as a rib cracked.

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Zell voiced and began kicking again.

Zabuza leaned forwards and his words dripped with promises of pain if he would even think of lying. "You smell of it…this disgusting_chakra_…I've felt it before. Where is it?"

"W-wha…huh?" Zell could only remember one energy signature that made his stomach turn and nearly spilt out Naruto's name before shutting him mouth. If this was true, then he really couldn't let this man know where Naruto was!

Haku, who had been standing idly besides, withdrew something from robes. Zell squinted at it in the dim light and he nearly choked when he saw it was a needle. He hated needles!

"Zabuza-san. Allow me to question him."

"…Hn. Very well."

Zell was thrown to the floor. He scrambled away, only to be stopped by a brutal kick to the sternum. He tasted blood.

Haku knelt down, and Zell felt a cool hand pressing down on his shoulder. A soothing coolness flowed into him. Pain left his body, and he almost tumbled over peaceful bliss if not for the soft hand that supported him. _Isthis healing magic?_ He thought.

The boy leant forward until his lips were a bare inch from his ears.

"You know Naruto-kun, don't you?" Haku whispered.

Naruto? Yah, he knew him alright. He was even his new room mate! Zell nodded.

"Then you must help me find him. I wasn't the only one that felt it – an surge of unnatural _chakra_. Naruto-kun is in danger right now, isn't he?"

Zell paused for a moment. Where was Naruto anyways? He remembered something vaguely about fighting just a moment ago, but the memory was blurry. Fox…Naruto…fox…red _chakra_ that hurt like a bitch…was he in danger? Zell giggled and shrug his shoulders. "I think…I think I was fighting him awhile ago…something red and big and not fun at all."

Haku smiled. That was as good as any confession. "Then lead me to him. I can save him. Let me help you."

There was something strange about this boy, Zell suddenly thought. The idea crept into his mind from nowhere. He had never met this boy before, but it was if he had known him his entire life. There was a feeling of closeness, of bonding; he wanted to trust him…they were friends, weren't they? And it felt so good right now, to just lie down and sleep…

No.

Quistis had said something, hadn't she? He strained his mind. What was it that she had said…Squall and Seifer? Squall and Seifer. Squall and Seifer. Find Squall and Seifer! His eyes snapped open. There was an attack on Balamb right now! This assault on Balamb…these two could have been part of it! His eyes swept to Zabuza, who was standing by, and then to the sword strapped to his back. No, this definitely wasn't normal! This wasn't normal at all! Friends?! He didn't even know these two! There wasn't any way he could bring these two to Quistis. She needed help, and the cafeteria was just a little farther ahead! If he could just get there…

He shook his head.

Haku's kind eyes fell on him. So this was his choice, was it? It appeared that the genjutsu wasn't as effective as he had hoped. The mental resistance of this one was strong indeed.

"A regretful decision." He whispered.

And a thin needle pierced Zell's neck.

* * *

When Seifer reached the Training Center, it took all of half a second to spot which direction that Quistis, and the little blond boy, Naruto, were most likely in. Besides the Grats and other little creatures that weren't scurrying and fleeing away from that general direction, there was a trampled path that led deep into the center; and most likely to the Guardian training area.

He walked briskly along, and after the first tree nearly knocked him unconscious, began using the flat of his gunblade to divert stray branches, taking a different route through the jungle, a short cut that cut directly to the training area instead of having to circle around on the entire path. He noted that the area seemed much more ominous in the dim light of the artificial solar panels. Strange, that a few lengthened shadows could have such a dark effect. The Training Center under Balamb Garden headlines lit 24/7; you never knew when Cadets or SeeD or someone from the Faculty was training. When Garden had temporarily shut down, the energy department had probably thought it best to divert energy to more important functions, such as the medical offices or the command center.

Another minute and he cleared the last branch, coming into the open area somewhere near the east side of the center. And then his jaw nearly fell to the floor.

"Well, well, what do we have here…?"

Quistis lay unconscious on the ground. Fading blue wisps of magic streamed around her, wrapping around her body in a protective glowing cocoon. Eventually they faded away as the But that wasn't what caught Seifer's attention. It was the sight of a red creature, if Seifer could even call it that, hovering over her a few paces away. It had the shape of an animal. He squinted. A fox it seemed, but molded with red energy that dripped. When little droplets touched the floor, they hissed like concentrated acid. Three tails trailed from its body freely. Right now, hundreds of paper thin sapphire colored rings of light locked it in place.

_Nice one_, Instructor, he whistled. He had seen those rings himself on a recorded vid-com playback. It was temporal stasis, one of the renowned Blues that had caused Quistis' face to be splashed across paramagical research magazines everywhere. Of course, there were reasons that in the known world the number of people that could cast such a Blue could be counted on one hand. Seeing that the fox-thing didn't seem as though it were going to move anytime soon, Seifer sauntered over.

She was unconscious, and looking none for the better. Whatever the thing was, and he gave a little peep over his shoulder to make sure it still wasn't moving, it had sure done a number on her. Was it also something that had come with the Ruby Dragons? He gave her a callous little kick. "Hey, Instructor, wake up."

She moaned a little, but otherwise remained still. He kicked her two more times, a little harder, but the result was the same.

He sighed. Why did everyone always need his help? Bending over, he reached into the side of his trench coat and withdrew a pair of slender vials filled with phosphorescent green liquid. A potion. Luckily he had remembered to _request_ some earlier from a passing Cadet. And even more luckily, that Cadet had also been interrogated by the Garden Disciplinary committee. Uncapping them, he kneeled down to turn her over, forcing her mouth wide open and pouring both into her mouth. Just as he tossed the used potion vials to the floor, she coughed, and sputtered back to consciousness.

A pair of worn crystal blue eyes found focus, then found his. And boy, they didn't seem happy. At all.

"Seifer." She croaked, distressed. Her voice was raw and scratched. She tried leaning up, a pathetic attempt that made her look like a up-turned turtle, but quickly fell back down. No good. She had exhausted everything; physical, mental, and magical. It was an effort itself to keep from slipping back into peaceful oblivion.

"Garden's number one hero and idol is here." He smirked.

"I'm alive." She noted.

"Unfortunately."

Quistis mouth crinkled. Yesterday hadn't been good. Or the day before that. Or the day before that. Today's prospects weren't looking great either. "_Unfortunately_. I must have accumulated too much karma to be worthy of being be saved by the Garden's most dashing Cadet of all people." She nearly gagged on her own words.

Seifer graced her with a glaringly arrogant smile studded with shining white teeth. "So, Instructor, mind explaining what's going on? What's that thing over there?" He turned around and nodded towards the creature that had been frozen in time. For some unfathomable reason, when he stared at it, even though he knew it was in Temporal Stasis, he couldn't shake the gnawing feeling that it was staring right back at him…

"My blue worked."

"I'd never have guessed it. Mixing battle with experimental magic's isn't your style, Instructor. The potential backlash could have killed you on the spot. Luckily, yours truly saved your life."

Quistis made an ungraceful snort, and managed to find enough strength to prop herself up. She cursed. It hurt. More than she thought it would. "No need to remind me. There was no guarantee it would work…but I had to try something. Did Zell find you?" She asked.

"No. You sent Zell? Hyne! No wonder! Chicken wuss probably lost himself wandering around in the confusion." He smirked. "Actually, it was Squall that begged me to come here. He was so adamant about how much better my skills were that he insisted I come to save you."

"I'm sure. And how did he figure I needed the help?"

"He…called it a hunch."

"That's one lucky hunch." She paused, considering. "I'm glad, actually. Thanks for saving me, Seifer. I used to think you were useless both in class and in real life, but it seems I'll have to reevaluate my horridly poor opinion of you."

He narrowed his eyes. She wasn't funny at all.

"Any how," She continued "Give me a briefing on what's happening outside."

"The usual. Somebody blew up the walls to the Training Center, so now the halls are flooded with Grats and T-Rexaur. And a fleet of Ruby Dragons invaded Garden. You know, what happens every day."

"Human soldiers?"

"None. Just the Rubies. It's a little strange in fact."

"More than a little strange. Do you have your communicator with you?" Quistis referred to the hand held gadget that SeeD kept on hand when they were away on missions. A relatively knew device, it couldn't be discounted that SeeD has all the latest gadgets. It was used for contacting other SeeD, and for receiving new information from the headquarters, aka Cid's office. Quistis hadn't brought hers today as her love for all things past caused her to hate the little things with a passion. If she had knew this was going to happen, she would have made sure to kept a dozen spares! But she couldn't berate herself. What's done was done, no good fretting over spilled milk.

Now Seifer on the other hand would want something to better easily communicate with his minions…

"No. I left it in my room." He said, dashing her hopes away with a single sentence. "I remember Squall carrying his though. He probably tried to contact you."

She sighed heavily. Nothing was going her way today. "Then we need to find Headmaster Cid and have him send his specialized SeeD team here. The stasis might have worked, but it has a limited duration, and with Naruto's rather unique energy, I have no idea how long it will last."

His eyebrows rose. "That's Naruto? The little blond boy?" He recalled. He glanced back again, this time with more interest. The rings of the blue still held him in place, but…there was something about that energy, something uneasy…and predatory. "Looks like some kind of fire elemental creature to me."

"Yes, well that is Naruto, I assure you. We had been training with Zell, to let Naruto better learn how to junction, but after Naruto junctioned Ifrit, something happened. There were signs of rejection, for some unexplained reason, something that I can only term an alien energy took over him, from inside. We tried to stop him, and he nearly destroyed Ifrit before I could forcibly extract it. As it is, that red energy surrounding him is protecting him."

"Protecting him?" Seifer asked.

She nodded. "High resistance to all forms of physical and magical forces. Though I can't say all, all of the ones I tried only washed off him. Increased strength, speed, reflexes. The area barriers don't even recognize Naruto as human anymore. Though, in exchange he seems to have lost his mind and gone feral, attacking whatever is close."

"Not exactly the best trade off."

"Not only that, but see that red energy that's covering him?" She pointed out. He nodded. "It's corrosive. Burns through magic and physical matter while shielding him. I've never seen anything like it. It appears sentient, having taken its own form also. And don't ask me what form and why. I'm just as confused as you are."

"Corrosive, huh? Maybe you were too weak?" He suggested. "Maybe your little spells just bounced off him because his magic resistance was too high."

"Naruto nearly almost killed both me and Zell. You don't stand a chance either, Seifer, so don't think about it. That Blue I cast may be called temporal stasis by some, but in reality it's nothing more than one glorified Stop. Based on what I've experienced so far, that energy will dissipate my spell soon enough. And don't think I don't know what that glint in your eyes means, Seifer! I don't want to be the one left picking your ashes off the floor. Our priority should be to inform Headmaster Cid and find more qualified SeeD to handle this situation."

Seifer grit his teeth. He didn't stand a chance, did he? He would admit that Quistis was a good fighter, what with her being a top SeeD and instructor. Even that little chicken wuss could put up some degree of resistance. But him? He was better than everyone and anyone in Garden.

"We'll see about that." He muttered. Rising up, he pretended to ignore Quistis' continued warnings and approached Naruto, or what was left of him beneath the mask of energy. He withdrew his gunblade and began examining him, using the tip of the blade to poke at the energy. Yup. The blade sank in a little ways, then halted completely. He pushed a little harder to the same result. Then he looked up, and crimson eyes filled with hatred found his.

There was an expansion of energy, a pulsing of sound, the calm before the storm. Naruto flexed, and the rings of blue light shuddered then dissipated completely. An orb of pure ruby energy laced with murky black burst from Naruto like a birthing star.

"Seifer!"

* * *

"Take it down! Take it down!" One of the SeeD shouted out as the mercenaries continued to pummel the last remaining ruby dragon with spells and projectiles. The other T-Rexaur and Rubies, a total of five of the beasts, had been killed. Many of the SeeD had left with injuries or fire burns, and now only a handful remained to engage the dragon from below.

However, one particularly brave cadet had taken an opportune chance, latching onto its back.

Squall scrabbled onto the beast, using his gunblade to dig into corded reptilian muscle, and grabbing hold of the thick scales for leverage. He was nearly jolted off as someone let loose a poorly aimed _fira_, barely missing him by a few feet. His sucked in his breath as the heat of the spell scorched his leather pants.

"_Idiot_," he whispered. Didn't they know that Ruby dragons were immune to fire based magic's? It was RUBY wasn't it? Perhaps they should have named it FIRE IMMUNE DRAGON so that some SeeD would actually remember. There was another shake and he tightened his grip on a scale as the ruby dragon swerved to bite at the annoying swarm of SeeD that assaulted it from below. Swinging with the motion, he used the momentum to launch himself straight onto its back.

Keeping his body low to its body so he wouldn't be tossed off, he steadily progressed towards its head. Then, he raised his gunblade and thrust it into the skull. There was moment of hard resistance, and suddenly Squall plunged forwards as metal broke through bone and into the soft tissues of its cranium. Squall uttered a word. A bolt of purifying lightning ran down the metal blade, into the dragon's skull. A fountain of hissing blood blinded him, and he stumbled backwards.

The dying dragon reared, throwing Squall into the air. A SeeD caught him, and moved aside just as the huge corpse smashed dent the floor, shaking the cafeteria. There were scattered cheers as the SeeD celebrated the death of the last Ruby Dragon in the cafeteria.

"You all right Cadet?" The SeeD asked, setting him down. Squall noticed that the SeeD seemed worse of than he did. He had probably returned from just another mission as Balamb Garden came under assault, Squall surmised.

"…fine." He responded. He wiped himself off as well as he could with the amount of guts and gore that covered him. He almost laughed, an action highly uncharacteristic of him. He looked like a zombie from one of Zell's damn video games. He shook his head. The exhaustion was getting to him. He'd need a bath after this or else he'd be doing something even more uncharacteristic. Like _smiling_. A good, long, hard, bath with bubbles. Lot's of bubbles. And rubber lions.

After the SeeD assured himself that Squall wasn't suffering from any head injuries, he left him with orders to report to the terrace as soon as possible before turning and leaving himself.

Squall sighed. He turned, walking over the fallen debris of the cafeteria to where his gunblade still lay imbedded in the dragons head. With a tug, it came free.

Now to find Seifer…

* * *

"Seifer!" He heard Quistis call out one second too late.

Seifer raised his arms just as Naruto freed himself. A halo of ill energy shot forth from him, nearly catching him in the chest. Nearly.

As he steeled himself for whatever would happen when he was hit by that blood red energy, a translucent blue wall shimmered into existence in front of him. The energy struck the wall and sloughed off like rain drops on leafs. Taking the opening he skid backwards to gain some distance between them. He wasn't about to be caught unawares by_that_ again.

Another blue screen blinked into existence followed by another. And another. They surrounded Naruto and herded him into their center. He let out an appreciative whistle. The blue walls had completely blocked off Naruto into a four-sided cage. He raged inside, but his slashes were rendered futile, incapable of harming the mantles.

Impressive. Did Quistis do that? Looking back at the instructor, she lay there just as confused as he was if not more so. He shot her a questioning look. _You?_ She shook her head.

Turning his attention back to the wall he stepped a little closer, but kept a good distance away so he could react if Naruto jumped out. It wasn't an energy barrier, not really. In fact, it was rather solid…was that ice?

"Well done." A voice sounded behind him.

A deep, masculine voice. Not Quistis'. He spun around and came face to face with Zell. Waiting behind the blonde Cadet stood a man, a giant sword strapped to his back, and a young girl.

"Chicken-wuss?!" He called out, perplexed. "What are you doing here? Finally found your way back did you?"

Zell didn't respond. In fact, he appeared to be unconscious. His usually vibrant eyes that were alive with curiosity glazed over with shifting gray veil. Though he moved, he shuffled around with all the grace of a single jointed doll.

Well,_that_ didn't bode well. As chief of the disciplinary committee he had used enough interrogation spells and techniques that he knew when someone was under the influence of drugs or magic.

"So..." He said, positioning himself so that he stood between Quistis and the new group. "I take it you two aren't from Balamb Garden?"

An ominous air hung around the man, the feeling he got when a T-Rexaur would be staring at him as it hid in ambush. His ashy skin and cruel eyes didn't do much to alleviate his doubts. And the girl. He let out a low whistle. Pale, clear skin. Long, lustrous raven colored hair. Round, almond shaped eyes, and a delicate nose. A model profile. _Nice ass too_, he noted. She was definitely his type, but he got the feeling that she wouldn't like his advances and was far from unarmed.

"I take it you two aren't from Balamb Garden?" It was more of a statement than a question. A quick glance at Quistis told him that she didn't know these two either. From their clothing, he guessed that they weren't from Balamb, Dollet, or Galbadia. Trabian, perhaps?

To his annoyance, they ignored him. They hadn't turned to him, but instead were looking at the caged Naruto. _Ah_, he realized. So they were the ones responsible for that.

"Haku." The man said to the girl. "How long will it take?"

"I still don't know the full range of his power at the moment. First, I must contain him." Haku responded.

The man smiled, an expression that was even visible underneath the gauze covering the lower half of his face. "I hadn't expected the boy to be in a released state. The Nine-Tails is…more than I expected. I can see why they would want this power. Well, so be it. Do as you will." He commanded.

"Yes, Zabuza-san."

Seifer's hackles rose. What do they think he was? A _side dish_? He strode towards the two, gunblade ready in one hand. "Hey, dipshits!" Their continual ignorance of him perturbed him to no end! "You better answer my questions now or face some serious consequences!"

Then he heard a crack. Stopping immediately, he turned towards Naruto. A jagged fissure spiked through the blue shield. It glowed with dark, murky red light. Like a web, the crack began to extend outwards until the transparent wall looked like a hard-boiled egg that had been thrown against a wall.

_Shit!_

He reacted with the speed of a top-rated Cadet. Spinning around, he scooped up the Instructor in one arm and hurtled backwards using his body to cover hers as they fell in a heap on the floor. He cast his spell just in time just as an inferno of red _chakra_ shot past him, searing his pitiful shield spell and charring little smoking holes into his gray jacket.

When the roaring glut of fire finally ended he peeked upwards and saw that the two strangers were left unscathed. Another thicker blue wall, this one more opaque, rose in the air in front of them. It had shielded them, along with Zell, from the blast.

"Seifer!" Quistis called out from under him. "I can't breathe!" She tried to bucking him off but she was too weak at the moment, her efforts amounting to nothing more than a little flex.

"You should be lucky Instructor," He said as he rolled away "you're in every girl's dream position."

She coughed as his heavy weight moved off her. "And I'm _sure_ you gave them as much of a choice as you did me." She countered. "What's wrong with Zell?" She asked, spotting the blonde.

"It seems chicken wuss was caught and placed under some sort of hypnosis. Magic or drugs, no idea, but he was the one that probably led them here."

She grimaced as he confirmed her fears.

He smirked, half smiling. "Look at the upside. They haven't killed him yet."

"That's great Seifer. I'm sure he appreciates the sentiment."

"Who do you suppose those two are?"

"I don't know. I can't recognize their clothing. Do you?" He shook he head. "Well, it seems they're here after Naruto. And my guess is that they are also one of the parties responsible for the lockdown."

"That girl." He asked. "Is she a blue-user? That's a pretty unique shielding spell they got there…"

"Ugh…" Quistis groaned, "don't ask me. There's been too many new 'things' happening recently that I can't keep track of it all."

"Things?"

"It's a long story."

"We have time."

"No we don't. Just assume she is a blue user and take the necessary precautions." Seifer nodded. Talented blue users were unpredictable at best, and down right crazy at worst.

He rose up, helping Quistis onto her feet. She stumbled around before balancing herself. "What do you suggest we do then Instructor?"

"If they're here for Naruto, we can't let them take him." She said after considering the situation.

Seifer gave her a puzzled look, "But if we let them take him, they'll leave right?"

Quistis shot him a dirty look. "Besides how callous that sounds, it's against Balamb Garden code to negotiate with terrorists. And yes, Seifer, assuming that they did plant explosives in Garden and send a fleet of Ruby Dragons to create chaos, that would classify them as terrorists. Also, I have the feeling that it would be worse if we let them get away with him."

"Okay. Then what do propose we do."

"I can't do anything. I'm barely staying awake as it is. It's going to be what you are going to do. You're going to stop them." She said, though her unsure voice betrayed the confidence etched on her face.

"Hey Instructor, I hope you can put things into perspective, since you're so good at everything. Zell and you can't do shit. Now, you want me, to stop someone that is capable of stopping…" He pointed over at Naruto, who lay crouched and snarling "that?"

"Yes. And?" Quistis countered with all the haughtiness she could muster. "Squall will be arriving any moment soon right? I'm not asking you to stop them, just delay them for a moment. As a level seven Cadet you should be well aware of the risks of battle."

"Squall!?" What did _Squall_ have to do with this!?

"Once Squall arrives, I'm sure he'll be able to handle the situation that you obviously can't. And since you don't have your communicator with you, you can't ask me to walk all the way back in my condition, can you? A poor defenseless little girl like me."

Seifer's eye twitched and an angry vein throbbed on his head. _Squall_, huh? He'd show her alright. He was better than puberty boy would ever be! "Fine!"

Picking up his blade, he strode forward.

* * *

Haku placed his both palm forwards. His hands glowed with intangible_ chakra_ as the power of Kyuubi splashed off his shields.

"The nine-tails is stronger than expected." He said, informing Zabuza. "Something happened before we arrived. He was not supposed to be in a released state."

"Fools who cannot handle the Nine-tailed fox will burn themselves. Those who ran this institution messed with forces beyond their control." He replied. He shifted his head a bit to the side to make sure that the two he saw here were keeping their distance. Turning back to the task at hand, he noted the red _chakra_ that surrounded Naruto. "This feeling…the _chakra_ is without doubt much stronger than I felt on the Great Bridge. What do you think?"

Haku nodded in agreement. "When Naruto transformed into a released state back then, he still kept his appearance. But this time, the _chakra_ has fully converged on his body, and has assembled into a ghost of its true form. I doubt he can even think anymore. The tails on his body most likely indicate the strength of his released form. At three, I was able to contain him within a field. Nearing four, he broke out." Using his sense of _chakra_ flow, he could tell how the _chakra_ shifted. "The strength grows at an exponential rate."

"Can you handle him?"

Haku paused for a brief second before answering. "Yes. At most I can constrain him with four tails. At five, I have no other choice but to end his suffering."

"…Very well. Then take him dead or alive; it matters not to me." Zabuza turned, and watched and Seifer approached them. "Quickly. It seems those here have finally gathered their courage."

"Yes, Zabuza-san."

Naruto pounced forwards. His claws coated with burning _chakra_ sought to tear the closest person to pieces. In this case, it was Haku. To his side, Zell fell onto the floor.

Haku wave hands and uttered a string of fast-paced syllables. _"Ninpo: Crushing Wave Dragon."_ A funnel of lacerating wind shot out from one hand. From his other hand came a flux of water with enough force to break apart stone and steel. The two forces met, plowing into Naruto, who held his ground for a second before the force of the barrage lifted him upwards and was soaring backwards. It didn't end there. The water converged and solidified and took shape – that of a serpentine dragon. It crashed downwards and picked up Naruto into it's crushing jaws.

Haku advanced. With one hand he kept a constant sequence of motions. The wind stilled, and thermometers dropped like falling stars. The air misted over as freezing winds filled the room. Tree branches snapped off, unused to cold weather, snapped off.

The soaring dragon stopped. It lay unmoving in the air and from within its belly came a glowing red light. The ice dragon, a creation of wind and water, was in visible pain.

As he finished the last of his seals, the dragon let out a final roar as its belly ruptured and Naruto leapt out, unharmed.

Below, an obelisk of pure ice shot upwards at unnatural speed. It caught Naruto in its growth, and then grew over him, capturing the nine-tails in a twenty foot thick column that topped off at a hundred feet into the air.

Haku stopped at the base of the buttress. He placed his hands onto the hardened ice and closed his eyes. Then slowly, he edged forwards, and sunk into the ice as water meets water.

* * *

On the sidelines, Quistis gaped at the giant ice pillar that spanned the air. Its tip nearly reached the roof of the Training Center!

But more so than that was the young girl. She had entered the column, actually _blended_ into the ice. Was that even physically possible? It must have been some sort of para-magical infused structure. And, remembering the spells that had shot from the girl, Quistis had to rub her eyes to make sure she wasn't blind. The girl, if she wasn't mistaken, was a dual-caster. A person with the ability to cast two spells at once. It was a one in a million people that could do that, and in all of SeeD history she couldn't recall one so far that was capable of doing so.

She shivered and cursed herself for wearing clothes meant for warm weather. More worrisome was that the girl had altered the weather. It was restricted to a local area, but still…that was something that even Quistis couldn't do. There were few enough people in the world that could do that, and she wasn't one of them - yet. It required concentration and power that nearly rivaled those of a Guardian Force.

She grew worried as to what would happen to Naruto, but thrust her worry aside as she contemplated the more immediate problem.

If the girl had that power at her disposal, then what about the man? He didn't seem bothered by Seifer who was nearing him, anger burning bright in his eyes.

She wanted to call Seifer back, but stilled her voice at the last moment. She'd need to wait and see what would happen, to assess the situation further before she could act. That was what a SeeD did, but_she_was trained to do. Things couldn't go on the way they were. If these two were searching for Naruto, he most likely held a greater value than they had initially realized. There was no way she could turn him over to enemy hands. If Squall arrived soon, then she could use his communicator to contact Cid and have him send his SeeD squadron here.

_A squadron?_ She mused. _Was that even enough?_

* * *

This man, Zabuza, seemed to find amusement in him, Seifer noticed. He stood there like a guard, barring the path to where Naruto and the girl were duking it out. He thought he had done an admirable job concealing his incredulity as the temperature dropped what felt a hundred degrees making every cold breath painful, and a towering column of ice literally appeared out of nowhere, swallowed up Naruto, and then _disappearing_ into the column. He turned his attention back to Zabuza, who he had designated target number one. The man stood there like a fearless stone guardian as he approached, not even bothering to withdraw that ridiculously oversized sword that was strapped to his back, unperturbed by the gunblade that Seifer was wielding.

_I'll wipe that smile off you_, Seifer thought, happily thinking of how many dozens of times he was going to smear his foot on that cocky face.

He stopped in front of him. "Identify yourself." He ordered through clenched teeth. As much as he wanted to kick the ass out of the man, he was a cadet, and he followed protocol.

Zabuza leaned backwards and folded his arms into his hand, infuriating Seifer even more. "And if I don't, boy?" The man asked in an ire-inducing drawl.

Oh, he did_ not_ just call him boy. This man had just crossed the line "Garden rules can rot in hell!" He bellowed. His flexed his arms and his gunblade swept out in a wide arc – only to cut into nothing as Zabuza anticipated the strike and stepped back, the blade missing a disemboweling strike by a mere half inch.

"Be careful where you wave that. You might cut someone someday." Zabuza whispered in a mocking tone.

Seifer's blood boiled. Leaping forwards, he swung his blade out – only for Zabuza to withdraw a kunai and block the path of the strike.

"How come you aren't using your sword, intruder?" He asked.

"My sword is reserved for the worthy." Zabuza responded, eliciting a scowl from the blonde. "If you wish for me to end your life so quickly, then beg me. Otherwise, it's been a while since I've played around."

"I'll carve that smirk off your face!" Seifer cried out. He spun back around and over, building momentum for a devastating overhead strike. Hyperion tore halfway into the ground, missing Zabuza by mere inches – again.

The_missing-nin_ placed his foot on the blade as Seifer struggled to tear it free. "Is this the best this so called Garden institution has to offer, boy? Unimpressive."

Straining, Seifer jerked once more and Hyperion slid free of its sheath. He took a few steps backwards. He had underestimated the man. The next move would have to count.

"If you don't come to me," Zabuza whispered in a voice that sent shivers crawling down his spine, "I'll come to you." He disappeared.

_What the hell?_ Seifer twirled around, and nearly lost his balance as he brought up his sword to block a strike. The pressure of the kunai against his blade sent him half-kneeling to the floor. This man, he realized, was prodigiously fast, and worse than that, devastatingly strong. What he wouldn't give for a junction right now!

"Have you abandoned hope so soon? If you beg, I will end your life – painlessly." The man murmured from underneath his bandaged visage.

"Not quite." Seifer said. He dropped fully too his knees and tossed his blade to the side. The sudden change gave him a moment's advantage.

_Fira!_

A spark of magic and a torrent of fire shot from his hand and engulfed the man as Seifer tumbled away and took hold of Hyperion once again. Casting a quick _shell_ on himself, he propelled himself into the flames, blade held high.

There was the ring of metal against metal. The fire sputtered for another moment and the flames died down altogether to reveal Seifer's gunblade struggling against a man-sized sword with a single large hole at the end.

Zabuza smiled from beneath his bandages. The blaze hadn't harmed a single hair on his body, Seifer noticed with disgust. Rock shattering strength? Check. Untouchable speed? Check. Unnatural magic resistance? Check. He didn't even need to know if this Zabuza had strong para-magical abilities or not – the girl covered that base well enough. It wouldn't even surprise him if he popped back with another pair of wings or two.

"Lost all hope yet?" Seifer mimicked.

"Not quite."

Then Zabuza was gone again, his speed literally making him disappear from vision.

"However, it's over now."

* * *

_Darkness. He should have been used to it by now, should have learned not to fear the unknown, that the only fear was the fear itself. The red fire had tugged him into its death, to his doom. Would he die soon? He hoped for an end, and end to this emptiness that consumed him. But life wasn't easy. Nothing was that easy. _

_Darkness. Could he escape? In fantasy, in his dreams, the enemies could be fought face to face. But now, he knew, the true enemies were not the foes he see, but those inside. The true enemies were the demons that dwelled deep within. The demons of the soul._

_Darkness. How long had he been here? Trapped in utter silence. He was beginning to understand, just a little. In the darkness, there were questions, burning questions that should never be asked, but in the darkness, there were also answers._

Suddenly, there was light. Naruto blinked. He saw red, saw blue, saw black. With effort, he lifted his back from the floor, and sat prone on the ground. He felt better. He popped his arms. Much better. Looking around, he realized he was back in that room, the cage of his soul where the nine-tailed fox lay imprisoned, but something was different. Blue ice glazed over the ceiling, covered the walls, and coated the floor. Beyond, the iron bars of the Kyuubi's gate still held, but the demon fox itself wasn't there. He thanked whoever was looking out for him from above.

Events flashed back to him and he shuddered, grabbing hold of his body for what little warmth was there. The Kyuubi. Dark red chains that dragged him down. _Pain. Loneliness._

_..:Darkness:.._

"Naruto-kun." Someone called from behind. Naruto turned, caught by surprise. His eyes widened. It had been almost three years since that day on the bridge when he had seen the boy standing before him, but his memories hadn't dulled. If anything, they had gotten all the stonger. He was a little older, and a little more worn down by life and time, but Naruto would remember that hauntingly beautiful face anywhere.

"Ha…ku…?"

Haku smiled, bright and brilliantly. It was an honest smile filled with warmth that warmed Naruto like any sunny day. "You remember me," He said depreciatingly, "I must say I'm a little glad."

Naruto was baffled. He knew that Haku had died those years ago. Not by his hand, but it might as well have been. "Are you…here to haunt me?" He asked quietly. If this was payment for that day, then he would accept it.

Haku laughed. "No, Naruto-kun. I'm not a ghost. I'm quite alive."

"But you…- "

"-Yes. But something happened between then and now, and I was given another chance to serve again."

_Serve_? Naruto wondered. He knew Haku from those few days before. And he would serve only one person. "Zabuza is back too?"

"Yes."

He didn't understand everything fully, but was there a reason too? That he was chatting with someone that died years ago, in the depths of his soul, brought up a whole host of other questions. "Then...what are you doing here?"

"I'm here for you?"

"For me?" Naruto asked.

"You should know best of all. I am here not for who you are, but for what you are."

"What I am?" It clicked. Again, it was the Kyuubi. Everything came back to the Kyuubi. "I see. So you're after the stupid fox also?"

"Yes. Though I know not what circumstances created this situation, that was my original mission. However, in this sanctum of your soul, I have the chance to make a change, to choose another decision. Another choice, hard to think of, and harder to make."

"Another choice?"

"Tell me Naruto. What do you think of destiny?"

The sudden change in topic caught him off guard. What was Haku after? "Destiny is…something that we create for ourselves. I've seen it myself. Those who…pain over themselves, those who strive to improve themselves, those are the ones that decide their own path."

Haku's lips tilted upwards. "That's just like you, isn't it Naruto. And if I told you that destiny was set for all of us at since the beginning of time? That in the end, you and I are but mere pawns in a greater game."

"…I don't believe that. I can't."

Haku looked at the mist that circled his across the floor. "…Thank you. I wanted to hear those words. Naruto."

"…huh?"

Haku looked up at him this time, and he was caught by the pleading expression in his eyes. "If you believe in defying destiny, then I too, will believe. I, too, will do everything I can to change what has been set. This will be the first time I've defied his orders. Even is he will hate me…then I will take that too."

"What are you talking about?" Naruto asked. All this cryptic mumbo jumbo was beginning to confuse him.

"I told you I was here for the Kyuubi, didn't I?"

"…yes…" Naruto echoed slowly.

Haku hesitated, as if he were about to say something uncomfortable. "Originally, my mission was to destroy your body, and transfer the Nine-tailed Fox into a more suitable container."

"What!?" Naruto scrambled backwards. "Don't think I won't put up a f-fight!" He sputtered.

Haku laughed. "Well, that was the plan. However, if you can agree to help me, then I can help you."

"Help you? What would you want from me."

"Simple. One month from now - I want you to kill me."

"WHAT!?!?" Naruto screamed out, even louder than before. He was definitely a spirit sent to torment him! There was no other way.

"I know it might seem an impossible request because of your nature. But I can think of no other way. In return, I will help you seal the Kyuubi until then."

"I can't do that. I can't agree to kill…you. Not again. I can't agree to that again. No way…" Naruto murmured. He didn't elaborate on the nightmares and dreams that he had for days afterwards, that he still had occasionally. The guilt had just begun to die down. He wouldn't be able to do it again. He continued, his voice lower, hushed. "I hated you back then. Back when I thought you had killed Sasuke, I really, really hated you. And then when I found out you let him live, I was so sorry. I still am. If only…if only I could have stopped what had happened, if I could go back…then I would change it all."

Haku smiled kindly. "You are not at fault Naruto. What's done is done. As humans, we can only look forward to what tomorrow brings. What you did, I never blamed you for. Those were the results of my own actions, the consequences of my choices. When I died, I died in peace."

"But…"

"Listen to me. If you truly feel guilty for back then, then help me."

"By_killing_you!?" He was shouting now.

"By_ saving_ me." Haku insisted with a conviction that left no doubts to whether or not he believed his own words.

"That's insane! How will killing you achieve anything? Is it for him again? Is it for Zabuza!? He's just using you!"

"If he is, then I am glad. It is my choice that I follow him, and I am grateful he keeps me by his side."

"Why! He doesn't even love you!" Naruto stopped when he saw the pained look cross Haku's eyes. Had he gone too far? He only wanted to get the point across that that man was using him, not because Haku was Haku, but because Haku was the inheritor of a blood-line technique.

A pause. "…I know. But still, we must protect those things important to us. For Zabuza-san…I can give everything. For Zabuza-san…I can sacrifice all. That won't change in the past, present, or in the future. Tell me, Naruto. Is there someone that you would do anything to return? A point in life in which you regret?"

An image, a flash of black, a red, white fan. His next answer was subdued, "…yes."

"Then you know what I speak of."

"It's different. He made the wrong choice and his friends had to suffer for it!"

"It's the same. You once said to me 'I want to become the number one ninja. To protect everyone and to have them recognize me. That is your dream, and mine is also to protect the light of that which is important to me."

Naruto hung his shoulders in defeat. Haku was right. To 'protect that which was important to him', what would he give up? "…You're an idiot. Just tell me, why?"

"That is not you should know now. Later, as events unfold, you will learn, and from that seed of knowledge, you will grow. But quickly. Time runs out. It will return soon."

"I…" Naruto was conflicted. "…I…if…that is how I can make it up to you. Then I agree."

"Thank you."

Suddenly a burning presence filled his mind. An instinctual reaction to run, to cower, flooded his body. He saw Haku look behind him and grimace. Without turning, he knew. The Kyuubi was back.

From behind the vestiges of the gate, enormous blood shot eyes opened. They were eyes that could drive you into insanity.

**WHO DARES???** A deafening voice threw Naruto to the floor like a rag doll, but Haku held his ground. **FOOLISH INTRUDER! DO NOT THINK I CANNOT SENSE YOU THERE. WHAT RIGHT HAVE YOU TO STOP ME!? HE. IS. MINE!!!**

"I have the right to stop you," Haku spoke, as he glided past Naruto, who scrambled onto his knees. "You have no right to take him. You shall not take him." He whispered more quietly, "stay behind me Naruto. Whatever you do, do not leave my side."

Naruto nodded, remembering the unpleasant memories that accompanied him thinking of the Kyuubi. He didn't want to sink into that darkness. Not again. "Stupid fox," he whispered.

**YOU THINK YOU CAN STOP ME? HAHAHA! I'VE EATEN MEN GREATER THAN YOU AS A SNACK. WHEN I DEVOUR YOU, I SHALL PEEL YOUR SOUL LIKE THE LAYERS OF AN ONION OVER THE COURSE OF A MILLENIUM!**

A million threads of red _chakra_, tinged with darkness rose up around the duo. It converged on them – only to be repelled by a glowing sheet of liquid blue ice. It flowed like a river around them, a nurturing guardian, and when it touched the darkness, it brushed it away like so much dirt.

**ARROGANCE!** The Kyuubi screeched into their minds. **THE CAGE THAT BINDS ME IS BREAKING. WHEN I AM FREE THEN YOU SHALL SUFFER!**

"You are still weak, spirit." Haku called out. His hands lay flat in front of him, glowing with cerulean light. "The last one to fight you was stronger than you, and he sealed you."

**THE ACCURSED FOURTH WAS STRONGER THAN YOU WILL EVER BE!**

"True. But the groundwork has already been laid." Haku examined the metal bars that bound the Kyuubi. Though he didn't know the exact _jutsu_, he knew that it was a technique of the highest degree. A _fuuin_, a sealing _jutsu_ that was beyond his skill, and from the telltale signs, it had probably cost the user his life. He also knew that for a ninja of this caliber to leave an intricate seal such as this here, for the Nine-Tailed Fox, would not do so without leaving some means to strengthen it at a later date, lest it escape. There was most likely a mechanism by which to repair the corroded lock, but he didn't have enough time to search for it. He While unable to fully reconstruct what was there, he could strengthen and solidify the gate. It wouldn't last, but the other option – letting the Kyuubi free – was worse.

Naruto," Haku called pleasantly, and the blond ninja stepped forwards. "Do you have any last words to say? My abilities are not as refined as this…Fourth…that the Jyuubi speaks of. I cannot leave a path of communication between you and the Kyuubi, nor can I allow the _chakra_ to freely flow between. The connection between you two will be fully sundered."

"Good." Naruto said. He turned to the Fox. "I'm not scared of you, and I'm not going to let you take me again. I don't need your power anymore. I'll seal you someday, you stupid fox, I'll seal you for good, better than the Fourth ever could! Oh, and before I forget," Naruto turned back around, then pulled down his pants, giving the Kyuubi a good view of his nicely shaped derriere, "you can kiss my ass!"

**YOU LITTLE BRAT!!!!!!**

A billow of hateful _chakra_ crested forth, _chakra_ that killed at contact and would dissolve flesh and bone. Haku's shield held under the assault, but the miasma smothered them in a thick fog that Naruto couldn't see through.

"Naruto. I need your assistance."

He scrabbled forwards, eager to help. "What can I do?"

"It seems…my current _chakra_ might not be enough. I need yours to complete the technique."

"You got it." Unsure of what steps to take, Naruto reached out his hands until they were hovering over Haku's. There was a great flash of light from him, and the room brightened as Naruto's _chakra_ saturated the air. He began to emit light, a brighter shade than Haku's pearlescent blue.

"_Kinjutsu: Forbidden Technique, Ice Realm Absolution"_

They glowed further, and suddenly the fog blew backwards and the room cleared. And they were witness to the Kyuubi a mere foot away from them, its body reformed by mist. Its eyes seized upon them and it crouched, threatening to tear them it titanic claws. Naruto almost leapt backwards in shock, but Haku gripped his shoulder.

"It's nothing more than an image. The real demon still lies within." Haku raised his arms, and the halo of light around him intensified until every shadow disappeared. The appearance of the Kyuubi washed away. Towers of ice laced with arcane runes and charms rose into the air. The temperature dropped until every breath was frost, and the sound of shackles breaking and the Kyuubi roaring drummed the wind. Naruto could hear footsteps, loud footsteps as if something was running at them.

**YOU ARE TOO LATE, FOOL!**

"No." Haku said. "_You_ are."

The talisman that symbolized the steel cage flashed for a brief second, a light blue light flooded all the senses, and then every hole, every missing piece, every bar that disappeared in the struggle between Ifrit and the Kyuubi was connected by bars of impenetrable ice.

_**SMASH!**_

Something rammed into the gate and it shook with a fiery fury. Then it rebounded and crashed backwards. Naruto fell to the floor as the ground shook from the impact.

Haku moved his hands and began running through a complex series of hand seals. From the right, a blanket of ice crawled over the gate until it reached the other side. There, it stilled, and coalesced with the gate into a solid shield.

Naruto caught Haku just as he crumpled to the floor.

"Hey! Hey! You okay!?" He called out. He slapped the black-haired boy's cheeks a few times. "Hey!"

Haku's eyes opened a mere slit. "I'm fine…for now. Sealing…the Kyuubi, was much more than I expected. I expended…too much…_chakra_. As is, I will return to the physical realm soon, and I won't be able to speak to you anymore. Listen, to my words. In one month, come to Galbadia City. The seal that I created will only last…that long. There, I will be able to fully seal the Kyuubi, and there…"

"You shall end my life."

He held his hand up and Naruto gripped it with what strength he had. "Thank you for saving me, Haku. I promise you…"

The world turned off.

* * *

Seifer grunted as he bore the weight from another cleaving strike. The swords sparked as they screeched against each other. He hadn't been so lucky with the other hundred or so, and scores of wounds dyed him red.

He couldn't much longer, he knew. This man, Zabuza, was toying with him. He could have ended this any time, but chose to inflict tiny cuts wearing his strength down. _What a sadistic little bitch, _Seifer thought.

He thrust his gunblade out again and this time when Zabuza effortlessly dodged – he pulled the trigger. There was a loud bang as a bullet exited from the tip, nearly striking Zabuza. The gunshot thrust him forward and he pushed ahead adding more momentum to his strike. Again, the man avoided the blow by a mere hair breadth. Zabuza struck out and knocked Hyperion from Seifer's hands.

"The young forget the basics so easily. Swing with your weight. Keep the weapon firmly grasped. Do you think it's cool? How do you expect to fight without a weapon?" He said.

"Like this!" Even without a gunblade, Seifer was a lethal weapon himself. He thrust his arm outwards and called out to the coiled energy within him. "_Thundara!_"

A bolt of white-hot lightning shot from his hand at Zabuza – or at least where he had been. Seifer knew what was coming. A kick to his knees humbled him, and an unyielding hand brutally pulled back his blond hair, scraping his skull. A dirtied boot planted itself on his back and pushed, and Seifer almost screamed as some his hairs were pulled out. A sharp knife rested at his neck, drawing a thin ribbon of crimson.

Seifer wheezed. He had dodged or intercepted all of his attacks, then restrained him, and he wasn't even breathing hard yet. His speed and reflexes could only be described as precognescent. Quistis was right; she was going to be cleaning up his ashes after all. He had always wondered how he would die and had even imagined a few scenarios, the least of which included a warm bed, a bottle of Galbadian Vodka, and a pair of twins – having his throat slit in the Training Center by some stranger with an overcompensating weapon, however, was not one of them.

"If you're going to kill me, do it quickly. I won't beg for mercy." Seifer grit out. He closed his eyes and waited for the inevitable.

The inevitable came in the form of another rough kick that sent him toppling forwards.

"Leave." Zabuza said.

"Why didn't you kill me?!" Seifer scowled. He didn't want or need pity.

"I have no interest in weaklings. Leave, while you still have hope. Leave, before I change my mind."

As Seifer prepared to tell him to go tell hell, Quistis' voice caught him. "Seifer!" She had apparently gotten the hint that the man was willing to let him go alive, and knowing her, she didn't trust him to take a chance when given.

Though his face was red with humiliation, he turned and stumbled backwards. As a Cadet, he knew that if you lived, you could always fight another day. Live, and you could take revenge. The dead weren't given second chances. Right there, he swore to grow stronger, stronger until he could kill the son-of-a-Grat who had humiliated him so much.

"Seifer!" Quistis called out again. Her voice was more urgent this time, and she looked at him with widened eyes.

He fumed. "I got it! I'm not stupid!"

"Not that! Look behind you!"

Seifer paused, then did a 180 on his heels. What he was looking for wasn't in front of him, it was_ above_ him. The ice column had collapsed, the tower that spanned nearly the breadth of the distance to the roof of the Training Center had broken down. And it was going to land right on him… -

_Oh shit! _

Seifer jumped to the side, but fell short. The injuries he had taken caught up with him, and he felt his knees give way! Shit shit shit shit_shit!_

The ice spire crashed.

* * *

Squall arrived just in time. As he watched the icy buttress collapsed, he tossed his gunblade aside and picked up Seifer in one hand and Zell in the other, barely making it out from the shadow of the tower as it shook the ground with the weight of its demise.

"Oh thank Hyne." Quistis let out her breath that she didn't even know she was holding, seeing that the three Cadets were safe. She was sure that Seifer and Zell would have been crushed otherwise, their bodies reduced to little more than pulpy piles. Well, she didn't care that much about Seifer, and his death wouldn't have pained her or caused any unnecessary nightmares _too_ much, but Zell was like a little brother to her!

"A little late aren't you Squall?" Quistis chided, sighing again in relief.

"…I was…preoccupied." He murmured again. Quistis nearly snorted. Even after the run he was still quiet as always.

Coming to a stop besides her, he lay the two Cadets down.

Zell plopped to the floor, still unmoving after he had collapsed. Quistis reached out and found his hand. Still alive. Seifer however, wasn't very happy. "Oh, puberty boy to the rescue." He drawled sarcastically. Squall ignored the comment. Quistis, however, didn't.

"Squall always has to rescue the damsel in distress. Aren't you going to give him a little thank-you kiss?" She countered.

He shook his head in disgust. "Well Instructor, after having almost been killed because you sent me too my death, I can now say I really, really do not like you."

That hurt Quistis a little. She did feel guilty for tricking Seifer into fighting an opponent so far beyond his level – well, it's not like she knew at the time. In fact, she doubted if everyone here together could defeat the pair – and that was on a good day.

"Squall," She asked suddenly, "where's your communicator."

In response he reached into his pocket and pulled out a thin, flat black panel. Quistis took hold of it, and soon had it buzzing.

"Headmaster?" She spoke into receiver. There was static for a moment, then "Quistis?"

"Affirmative."

"What is it dear? You aren't in trouble or anything are you?" His concern leaked over, and made her feel somewhat safer. He always had that affect on her, like a father that would always be on her side. She would never tell the Headmaster that though.

"That would be an understatement. We have a pair of intruders from the party responsible for the explosion down in the Guardian Force Training Center. Also, I need a team of SeeD down here ASAP to deal with Naruto. Make sure they junction high magic-resistance Guardian Forces. Right now I have Cadets Zell Dincht, Seifer Almasy, and Squall Leonheart, but we need reinforcements immediately."

"That doesn't sound very good."

"Not at all... Zell is unconscious, Seifer and Squall are injured. I'm not doing so great either, Headmaster."

"I'll get right on it." There was a click and the hiss of static as the communicator shut down.

Squall took a moment to interrupt. "…Situation?" He asked.

Quistis rubbed her temples. "More complex than I can think of. I'll explain later. Let's get out of here for now before another tower comes crumbling down from nowhere." Squall nodded his agreement. His sword along with Seifer's was hidden somewhere underneath all the rubble. He'd retrieve it later when the cleaning crew swept past.

Then, from there was shaking from amidst the ruins of the melting ice.

Squall shot her a questioning look as he picked up Zell.

"It better not be that Zabuza again." Seifer muttered. He hoped the two along with the blonde kid and died in the crash. Unlikely, but hey, he could hope, couldn't he?

"…Zabuza?" Squall asked. Seifer ignored him

The blocks of ice parted, and Seifer nearly smacked his head as the form of the swordsman who had so laid the 'smackdown' on him emerge freely - and uninjured. Looking closely he could tell there was something in the man's arms. Or rather, someone. It was the girl that had come here with him, and had melted into the tower. She lay draped over his arms, her shoulder and knees supported by his strength. For a moment carrying her, he looked somewhat…gentle.

"Any sign of Naruto?" Quistis hushed. She didn't want to catch the pair's attention. Seifer shook his head.

And then, Zabuza was suddenly in front of them. Squall moved first, dropping Zell unceremoniously to the floor and unsheathing his gunblade - then realizing that his blade was somewhere underneath the blocks of ice that littered the grounds, he cast a _protect_ over himself and a _Fira_pooled in his hand. Seifer did the same, gathering a spell in his palm, ready to be unleashed. Quistis pulled herself backwards, and dragged the still unconscious Zell along.

"I am not here to fight you. What I have come here for does not matter anymore. That kid, Naruto, is over there. If you want to save him now, then so be it. His fate for this moment is no longer my concern."

"What do you want then?" Quistis asked from behind the shield of Seifer and Squall.

"Only to give you a warning. One month from now, come to city named Galbadia."

"What makes you think we'll do that?" Seifer sneered, but his timbre betrayed his confidence. "We don't have to do anything you want."

"I do not need you. Only the boy. Tell him that I have his friend - and he will come."

"…his friend?" Quistis sounded out loud. A light switch flicked in her head. "The other boy that was with him. Neji."

"Then you understand. I have nothing more to say. Farewell."

"Do you really think you can leave here that easily?" Seifer cried out in affront. "There's a dozen SeeD coming to the Training Center. You're trapped."

Zabuza grinned. He raised both his hands while keeping the girl firmly ensconced in his arms, and went through a series of seals. Droplets of waters fused in the air and surrounded him like pearls of aqua light.

"Galbadia. One month."

Then he was gone.

* * *

**Squall:**_I need a bubble bath. Now._

* * *

Monster Stat:

Grat Lvl. 10-20 Plant-type Creature

Hp: 325

Mp: 20

Strength: 22

Speed: 10

Vitality: 15

Luck: 8

Magic: 5

Spirit: 11

Weakness : Fire, Status-Effects, Lightning

Resistance : Water (absorbs)

Special Skill: Explosion- Upon death green goo is spread in a 20-meter radius.

* * *

Kyuu-Bi – two tail mode Lvl. 50 SSS-level Classified being

Hp: 2400

Mp: 850

Strength: 90

Speed: 74

Vitality: 95

Luck: 13

Magic: 100

Spirit: 52

Weakness : Ice, Water, Wind, Gravity

Resistance : Fire, Earth

Special Skill: _Chakra_ immolation – Contact with its _chakra_ causes 30 magic damage every second.

Special Skill: _Chakra_ fart – A sphere erupts from user extending ten feet, and all within who fail to dodge takes fifty magic damage and is thrown into the air for additional damage.

* * *

Monster Stat:

Quetzalcoatl Lvl. 40 Mid-level Lightning Elemental Guardian Force

Hp: 1525

Mp: 800

Strength: 60

Speed: 81

Vitality: 65

Luck: 27

Magic: 90

Spirit: 42

Weakness : Water, Earth, Fire

Resistance : Lightning, Ice

* * *

Ruby Dragon Lvl. 37 Dragon-type abomination

Hp: 1125

Mp: 120

Strength: 62

Speed: 40

Vitality: 80

Luck: 5

Magic: 13

Spirit: 72

Weakness : Ice, Water, Gravity

Resistance : Fire

Special Skill: Invisibility – Can freely become invisible for up to one hour per day. Invisibility is also dispelled upon attacking.

* * *

Seifer Almasy Level 19. Gunblade Specialist

Hp: 350

Mp: 160

Strength: 49

Speed: 37

Vitality: 55

Luck: 36

Magic: 40

Spirit: 28

Weapons: Gunblade - Hyperion

Junctioned GF #CLASSIFIED#

* * *

Haku Level.59 Mist Assassin

Hp: 450

Mp: 796

Strength: 40

Speed: 79

Vitality: 42

Luck: 12

Magic: 97

Spirit: 68

Weapons: Ice needles

Special Abilities:

Dual Casting - A unique power that allows user to cast two spells at once

Kekkei Genkai (Ice World) – Can freely manipulate water, wind, and ice. A unique ability that allows user to create various techniques usable only by someone with a similar ability.

Junctioned GF #CLASSIFIED#

* * *

Momochi Zabuza Level 68. Missing-Nin / Swordsman of the Mist

Hp: 880

Mp: 520

Strength:89

Speed: 76

Vitality: 47

Luck: 16

Magic: 73

Spirit: 51

Weapons: Zanbatou - Kubikiri Houcho (false) - 7 strength/-4 speed

Junctioned GF #CLASSIFIED#


End file.
